Niveous Sky
by Mr. Ree and Mr. Meenor
Summary: A basic mission. That was all. And yet, it was one of the more stand-out missions that they have ever done...
1. Freak Show

Yo, Kurokumo here. This is my first desperate attempt of writing a Man Fanfiction, so, uh, yeah… -sweat drop- Alrighty then, without further ado, let us start off forthwith with Chapter 1 of 'Niveous Sky'! (I'll be surprised if this breaks ten chapters… Oi vey…)

Disclaimer: Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

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1. Freak-Show

"The _hell_, Moyashi?!" Kanda yelled, anger evident to a blind man. "You just let that one get away! Our job is to kill the Akuma, not to let them go!"

Allen grimaced, telling Kanda that he knew he screwed up, and chased after the fleeing Akuma that was heading towards the main part of town. This was not good. If it managed to get there without being stopped, then it was over. It would all be over, and so many lives would be lost. That could not happen. It just couldn't. He chased it down as Kanda looked over his shoulder to Lavi, who was trying to help the injured Bookman.

"You can take 'im, Yuu-chan," he said, half-pissed off and half-upset. "I'm sorry that I have to let you two take care of it. It's just… Gramps…"

"Che." That was Kanda's sole response as he started to run down the road, then yelled over his shoulder, "If you dare to ever fucking call me 'Yuu-chan' ever again, I'll kill you."

"Love you, too!" Lavi yelled back. Kanda could hear the smile in that one as he upped his speed by three notches. There was no way in hell that Moyashi would be able to beat the Akuma there in time. It wasn't a matter of whether or not there would be casualties anymore, because there certainly would be. It was a matter of how many they could save now. The edges of town grew more and more dense with old buildings, the fleeting snow dancing devilishly as he ran passed the old monument, the signifier that he was less than three hundred yards away from the main town. Already he could hear the screams of innocent people. He grinded his teeth together as people stopped walking, which made it near impossible to get by, so he just started to shove people out of the way.

250 feet.

150 feet.

50 feet.

His running came to a screeching halt right at the sight of the first body. The person was nothing but a mere child, a little girl by the looks of the age of eight, her eyes paralyzed and unmoving as a symbol that she was dead. Her blood was mixed with the dirt and flooded out into the road, her once-blue dress now no longer of that colour, her golden locks of hair now a complete mess. It was sickening as he could see the spinal cord, so twisted and bent out of shape, protruding out of where it should have been and going right through the flesh.

_Shit._

He unsheathed Mugen, eyes shifting about as he looked for it. There was nothing there, except several other bodies and ruined buildings that were not ruined before. The wind picked up then, sending a flurry of snow at his face, but he ignored it. Everything was too quiet except for the howling of the wind. There was a lack of screams because there was no one left to scream. Everyone ran away or was dead. Damn, Moyashi really fucked it up this time. How could have that idiot let it get away when it was right in front of him?! It was so uncharacteristic of him, even if he did hate him.

Speaking of Moyashi… Where the hell was he? Even that idiot should have been here by now, give or take a few seconds. His frown deepened, then did another quick scan of the area. He was no where to be found. And neither was the Akuma. Now what? He grabbed onto one of the street light's poles and climbed up with ease. If people were around, they would be staring at him in awe. He jumped from the pole onto one of the still-standing buildings' roof and looked around off into the distance. Still no where. He turned around at the wrong second to see Allen flying in his direction.

"Moyashi--?!" Kanda wanted to yell more, but was cut off as he was hit directly and driven into the roof and into the room below. There was gaping hole where the two had fallen, and Allen appeared to be knocked out. Well, at least he knew now where the idiot was… "Moyashi, you idiot, the fuck were you thinking?"

There was no response to that question. Allen was slipping in and out of consciousness, his Innocence deactivated, his right side bleeding out. A piece of the ceiling gave way and fell onto his head, causing him to be completely knocked out. Kanda groaned. This was worse than the last mission, if that was at all possible. How come he always was the one to come to the rescue when Allen was in trouble? This was pissing him off. He shoved the badly-beaten Exorcist off of him and stood up, brushing the dust off of his clothes, then groaned, his hand reaching up and holding the back of his head unsteadily. If he got a concussion, it would be all of his fault.

Quickly, he jumped up and climbed through the hole of the roof, heaving himself upwards then stood up straight. From the direction, he guessed that it was heading towards… His eyes widened as he saw the Fire Salamander trying to take something out. Oh, hell, Lavi was in worse condition than either of them! He was about to go back for them until he remembered Moyashi, sighed, went back through the hole, picked him up, then jumped back up and headed towards the stupid-redhead.

Lavi blinked as he noticed that he was coming. He waved at them, smiling. "Yuu-chan, Moyashi-chan! Glad for you to join me!" He blocked the Akuma's attack with his hammer, its unusually long arms trying to split him in two.

"Don't call me…" Kanda started, but had to stop talking and block an attack from something that wasn't an Akuma. He growled heavily, shoving the being off of him, then had a semi-startled look on his face when he saw who it was. It was the same guy from the Ark back then. But didn't they kill him? Obviously not. He put Allen down to one side, then glared at the man menacingly. Lavi got shot across the field and into a tree that was 50 yards away.

They were fighting a losing battle, it was obvious for that much. He sucked in a harsh breath. And it was just his luck to be fighting one of the more tough Noah. Damn it. He exhaled slowly. He might as well start slowly and build up. If he used too many strong attacks, it would just cause him to be more exhausted. And he needed to stall until Allen came to. Bleeding or not, he knew the idiot would come in and save the day at the expense of his own life.

"Mugen," he said, raising the sword over his head, then yelled, "Ichigen!"

The spirit-bugs came out (that's what Lavi called them, which resulted in a punch in the face) and were launched at Tyki, who just sighed and let them pass right through him. Oh, right. This guy's ability was that he could touch anything or could not touch anything he wanted. Kanda frowned. And he asked God whether or not his day could get any worse.

It did when Tyki decided to not go after Kanda and go after the not-moving Allen.

'_He's after Moyashi?!' _Kanda's mind yelled, and, without warning, his body moved faster than his mind, throwing himself in front of Tyki's path. The Noah, who didn't expect it, didn't have time to change his path or make it so that he wouldn't touch Kanda and ran him through with his hand. There was a millisecond pause as he pulled out from Kanda's shoulder and took some of the flesh and broke the bone while he was at it.

"Brat," Tyki said, then moved to one side and grabbed Allen by the collar. He woke up with a jolt, shocked and confused what he was seeing, then mouth became agape when he recognized who it was. Kanda was rendered useless when Tyki smirked, his hand going right through the boy's chest, and was about to pull his heart out when another familiar and evil voice said, "Tyki, that's enough."

Tyki faltered, then dropped the boy to one side, turning to see Road. She gave him that bored look that meant 'it's time to go, under the Earl's orders'. He didn't like that look at all. "I was about to complete my mission--"

"Tyki."

He sighed, then walked passed Kanda whose hand was clamped over his shoulder. Oh, yeah, like he was going to let them just leave. He wasn't as stupid as Moyashi. His grip on Mugen's hilt tightened as he said, "Twin Blade Illusions." A second sword formed, but wasn't complete in shape. It was because of the injury. Fuck. It would have to do. He charged at Tyki, who seemed to sigh and made Kanda miss, then grabbed him by the wrist and threw him in the same direction that the Akuma--who was now missing--threw Lavi. He collided into the ground just before he hit him, though, and groaned. That hurt.

"Don't be stupid and attack head-on, boy," Tyki said, faint grin on his face, "and feel lucky that the Earl has managed to spare you, indirectly or not."

That was the thing, though. Kanda didn't want to be spared by the likes of the anyone, let alone the Earl. It was even worse that it was the enemy. He was about to get up when his shoulder let out a heavy throb of pain, and his back collided with the ground again, hand covering it and hoping it would just heal already. It was like Komui said, it was taking longer to heal. Fuck. The two left, leaving the exorcists battered and broken. The only one conscious was him. He forced himself to stand up, then checked Lavi first. Moyashi could fucking wait and just die, for all he cared. He snapped his fingers in front of his face, waited, and did it again. Lavi was completely out of it. He sighed, then walked over to Bookman, who looked as if he should have been dead, but wasn't. He was still breathing. Finally, he walked over to Allen and paused, looking down at him.

It was worse than he thought.

The grass beneath him was completely wet with blood. Allen's blood. He was losing too much of it. He grimaced. If he let Moyashi die, he'd never hear the end of it from Lenalee or Lavi or… Hell, anyone. Everybody loved Allen, except for him. He sighed, then unbuttoned the uniform to reveal the giant gaping hole where the Akuma apparently stabbed him with one of those ugly-looking fingers. His eyes partially widened when he saw a star form. What…? The stars were forming all over his body. Kanda panicked, then shook Allen. He knew Allen could repel the Akuma's blood curse, just so long as he woke up, which didn't seem to be happening any time soon.

"Moyashi."

No response. Kanda felt a bead of sweat form on his brow, then sighed heavily, and yelled, "Wake the fuck up, Moyashi, or else I'll kill you!" Which he knew he didn't need to do if Allen didn't wake up soon. There was still no response. Now this was a problem. The curse reach his face. This was it. If he didn't wake him up, Allen would die. One part said, 'good riddance', but he knew how much trouble he'd get in. Oh, hell. "Che. I said wake up, _Allen!_"

Allen's eyes snapped open at the sound of his _name_ coming from _Kanda's_ mouth, his Innocence immediately activating. The curse disappeared immediately as his eyes widened, not believing what he had just heard. "Did you just call me… Allen?"

"No, Old Man, you're hallucinating," Kanda smoothly lied. "I'd rather _die_ than call someone whose cursed by his name. Che." He got up, then stared down at him. "Are you going to get up or not? Idiot."

Allen did, then his eyes widened, clamping his hand over his side. "Ow! What… How am I still moving with this hole in my side…?" He spoke too soon as Kanda groaned, catching him before he fell. This was the most annoying mission there was so far. He called Allen by his name. Even if he was threatened to do it, he'd never call Allen by his name. But he did, just a few seconds ago, to save his life. That was it. That's all it was to it. But even so, it bothered him more than anything at the moment.

Lavi frowned, eyebrows furrowing close together, before he came to and saw Kanda standing in front of him with Allen draped over one shoulder. "Yuu-chan came to rescue me!"

"Che. Like hell."

"Oh, come on, Yuu-chan," he pouted, then stood up, picking up the hammer that was off to one side. "Did you kill the Akuma? You probably destroyed it with one shot, didn't you?"

"The Akuma…?" Kanda repeated in confusion, then his eyes widened. "Oh… No. Oh, no. Oh, fuck!" He let the Akuma get away while fighting Tyki! Lavi paused, trying to comprehend the information that was processing in his brain, then came to a stunning realization.

"You… didn't kill it?" Lavi managed to say, then his eyes widened. "Yuu-chan! It probably headed back into town! Oh, God, what are we gonna do?! We can't just sit here, but, oh, you're shoulder… and… Oh… Damn, what are we gonna do?"

"Stop asking stupid questions," Kanda ordered, then handing Allen to him. "You watch over this idiot. I'm going to go take care of the Akuma and--"

"We can't do that, Yuu-chan! You can't!" Lavi practically yelled. "If you try to kill that thing with your shoulder the way it is now, you'll die!"

"Che. So?"

"Yuu-chan!"

He sighed. Lavi head a point, as much as he didn't want to admit it. If he died while trying to kill the Akuma, then the other three, who were in far much worse condition than he was, would die too because of his judgement. He put Mugen away, much to his irritation, and sighed. "All right, fine. But the people down at that town are all going to be dead because of you. I just hope you realize that much."

"Yuu-chan, what people? They all fled, remember?" he pointed out.

"Che. Whatever. Where the hell is a phone? I need to call Komui."

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Two moons… There should have not been two moons there, but there was anyways. One in the reflection of the water, the other, in the reflection of the sky. And snow… There was snow floating down. For whatever reason, he felt as if he had been there before. In fact, he knew had been there before, the time where he 'died' and shortly there after, Crown Clown came into being. So why was he having this 'dream' again? He didn't want to see it again. No. Lenalee was crying, no, he did not want to see it. But he looked up anyways, and there, across the water, was a familiar face, but it was not hers. His eyes widened to who it was, unknowing of what he was seeing. This couldn't be in his dream.

No way.

Not _him_.

It was him, though, there was no denying it. Why was he seeing him this time? He hated his guts, and yet, by the looks of it, he was… crying. This was not possible. Allen forced his hand to move forward, and he expected to be stopped again, like last time, but this time, he fell right off the ruins that he stood upon--

--and sat up with a startled jolt, which nearly resulted in the punching of Komui's face if his clipboard had not been there. The Head-Scientist looked at him, shocked.

"I see you're all right, then," he said, taking a calm sip from his coffee. "We estimated you'd be out for another two, three days, but you always manage to surprise us, Allen."

Allen looked around, confused. What happened? He was fighting those Akuma, and then… nothing. He was pretty sure Kanda and Lavi were there, too, and Bookman. And they should have had it easy. They were your standard level two Akuma, and, though difficult to beat, they should have won that one easily. So what caused him to nearly die? He didn't know. "Komui… Where are the others?"

He took another sip of coffee before answering. "They came back with major injuries sustained as well. Apparently one of the Earl's 'friends' showed up. His name was apparently Tyki Mikk. I know you know him. But according to Kanda, he came from behind from no where and tried to rip out your heart. Said something that it was probably about getting revenge for the last time he tried to kill you but didn't."

Tyki? Allen shook his head. No, Tyki was supposed to be dead. Right? Well, apparently not. How was that possible…? He'd figure that out later, but right now, he needed to visit everyone and make sure they really were okay. He got out from under the bed covers and stepped onto the cold floor when the wooziness hit him hard and collapsed onto the floor. Komui shook his head.

"Did I not just say that you were supposed to be knocked-out for at least another two days? You're still recovering, Allen, you can't walk that much. Get back in bed."

A long, drawn out sigh was the scientist's response as he stood back up, trying to get his footing in order, then walked out of the room, ignoring Komui's yelling. He wasn't the kind to just lay around and do nothing. He hated that. So, as long as he was awake, he was going to keep moving. Even so, his head was spinning too much, he didn't think he could take another step. But he did, nearly twisting his ankle and breaking it while reaching the wall for support. Knowing Komui, to prevent them from killing each other, he'd put Kanda over to the opposite wing. As with Lavi…

He grimaced. He didn't want to see Kanda right now, he was still confused. Then what was his excuse? What if Lavi was over in the wing he was just in? Surely he couldn't say that he wanted to visit Kanda, of all people. He pressed onward towards the opposite wing, basically sliding across the wall as he walked. And finally, finally, he reached it. And there, with an annoyed look on his face was the Japanese exorcist, looking not as banged up as Allen expected to see. His gaze was directed to the ceiling until he heard Allen and just moved his eyes to side-glance. His frown grew seeing the British boy.

"Che. How come it's always you who has to visit me second? Go away."

Allen felt a nerve twitch. "I didn't come here to visit you! I came to see Lavi!"

At this, Kanda looked slightly puzzled. It sort of amused Allen to see an expression like that on his face. "Lavi? The Baka Usagi, you mean? He's not in this wing, he was in yours. How did you not see him? Che."

Uh-oh. Allen found himself on the spot, not knowing how to respond to that. How did he not see Lavi? He had red hair that stood out in the crowd! A frown creased his face, the glared at Kanda. "Well, fine then. Maybe I did come to visit you. What's the problem with that? If you don't want me here, then I'll leave."

"Che." That was Allen's response, which translated to 'You better fucking leave or I'll kill you, then bring you back and kill you again'. Allen glared at him again, anger evident, then attempted to storm out when he felt a sudden shock of dizziness hit him across the head once more. He kept his composure, trying to make it look like nothing was wrong. There was no chance in hell that Allen would pass out in front of Kanda. No freakin' way. He paused, then walked in a zig-zag pattern out of the room and passed out in the hallway, anyways. Kanda rose an eyebrow, then frowned. "He always manages to ruin my mood, no matter what he does…"

He sighed, then waved his hand over to one of the nurses and pointed at Allen. The nurse immediately rushed over to him as he sighed, angry. That idiot decided to visit him when he wasn't even completely healed yet. He wanted to smother Allen under a pillow. That would teach him to be not so goddamn caring. After the nurse left with Allen draped over her shoulders, he started taking his own bandages off. As long as she was distracted, he could leave. He was already healed, anyways, but they always managed to make him stay there three times longer than it was necessary. They were idiots, after all. He got up and bent down to put his shoes on, grabbing the hair tie that was on the table and tied his hair back a little differently than normal, but he'd deal with it later as he walked out, perfectly healed, his shoulder better than he thought it would be.

He walked into his room to see another petal of the lotus flower come off and float down to the bottom of the hour glass. He paused, then sighed, closing the door behind him and laid down still on the bed.

Calling him by his name was asinine. Even if it was to save his life.

Why was he still bothered by it?

_Fuck._

He put his hair back the way it should have been and paused when he heard the knock at his door. Judging by how the person knocked, he already knew who it was. "Che. What, Baka Usagi?"

"Yuu-chan, the nurse wanted to know why you left so early…" Lavi said, coming in, the frowned. "But that's because you healed already. Oh, hey, is there a reason why Allen passed out while he tried to visit you? He completely ignored me when I tried to wave at him… He was so mean…" he pouted playfully.

"He didn't want to catch the rabbit-disease."

"Ouch! That was harsh, Yuu-chan."

"Stop calling me that." He placed Mugen to one side and frowned. "So did you talk to Komui yet about the mission we failed--" he hated that word, 'failed', but he said it bitterly anyways, "--four days ago?"

"Well…" Lavi looked down at his feet and kicked the wooden floor uneasily. "Because of our failure… Komui wasn't too happy, but he was glad that we were okay… We go back there once Allen is back to normal in health, which could take another two days. Apparently the manifestation of Akuma there was because of a newly-found Innocence."

"Hn." Kanda stared at the wall blankly, then let out a weak sigh. "And does this Innocence have an accommodator or is it still out and about without anyone? Everyone's dead in that town now--"

"It's not located in that town, Yuu-chan," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "We were in the wrong town, actually. It's about fifteen miles south from where we were. So in short, we literally lured it from where it was to a completely innocent town. Which means those people died for nothing, basically."

Kanda's upper lip twitched uncontrollably. "Are you kidding me?"

"I _told_ you we were in the wrong town, Yuu-chan, but you didn't listen to me," he complained. "Komui said you haven't screwed up this bad since ever! He was wondering what was wrong with you."

"Che." Yeah, what the hell got into him? He screwed up big time this time around. It probably was just an honest mistake, but Kanda Yuu never made mistakes. He was practically flawless in his performance of being an exorcist. This never happen and never should have happened. "It's Moyashi's fault."

Lavi blinked, then broke into an uncontrollable laughing fit that nearly resulted in his death as Kanda pulled out Mugen without hesitation. It took him almost five minutes to get a grip of himself as Kanda seethed dangerously, hand twitching with his hand on Mugen's hilt. If he killed him now, though, with such a bad report, he probably would be heavily punished for it. But the desire was still there. _Later, _he told himself. Lavi wiped the forming tears from his eye and grinned at him. "You sound like a little kid, Yuu-chan, blaming it on Allen! That sounded so funny from your mouth! When did you become the age of five-years-old, huh? Oh, that was great! If I only I had a way to record that and give it to everyone in the Order--"

_Fuck it_. Kanda launched himself at the apprentice Bookman when his head was whacked with the familiar-looking clipboard. Lenalee stood there, annoyance evident. "Could you please kill him later? He just recovered! Leave him be!"

Kanda covered the forming bruise on his forehead with his hand, glaring dangerously. Lenalee turned and smiled at Lavi, then began saying words that wasn't reaching his ears. What, was everyone coming to his room just to piss him off? It was seriously starting to annoy him. Not that he was already annoyed, but hey.

"Oh, right," Lenalee paused, then turned back to Kanda. "My brother wants to see you. He's in his lab, as always. Me and Lavi--" she nudged him a little "--are gonna go see how Allen is doing. Do you want to come later?"

"Che. No," came out the standard answer. It would be a cold day in Hell if he ever visited Moyashi. A very, very, _very_, cold day. He didn't think he could emphasize it anymore than he just did, so he walked out of his room and headed towards the dining hall. He was hungry. And it was about freaking time that he got some soba noodles…

Komui would have to wait.

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Wow, first chapter, done! (That was kind of lame, wasn't it. Ah well.) So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It would be very nice of you to do so! See you in two, yatta! --K.S.


	2. Before the Mission

_**Woo-hoo, Chapter 2! I am currently high off of sugar, so this chapter might be a little bit more funny than intended. This is supposed to be a serious fic… But… I can't stay serious for long. Ehe. Anyways, let us commence forthwith with Chapter 2 of 'Niveous Sky'!**_

_**Disclaimer: Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.**_

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_**2. Before the Mission**_

_**The dining hall was filled with a variety of scents, all of which the credit belonged to Jerry, whose purple hair was loved almost as equally to his food. No one could beat Jerry. It was next to impossible. Moyashi's way of cooking was like eating digested trash that was thrown up by an Akuma. That nearly made him too sick to eat as he approached the window and placed his typical order of soba noodles. He took out his chopsticks once they were done and began eating, savouring the taste. It had been too long, even if it had been only a week. He sighed. Hopefully, no one annoying would dare disturb him from his eating, but he could feel the pressing glare from someone behind him. He frowned.**_

'_**I was stupid for thinking I might actually be able to eat in peace,' **_**he thought as he placed his chopsticks down and looked up at Komui, who had a throbbing anger mark on his forehead. **_**'Really stupid.'**_

"**Kanda."**

"**What?"**

"**You didn't show up to the lab, so I had to go out and find you myself," there was a hint of annoyance in his tone that Kanda didn't like. "I looked everywhere, the infirmary, your room, even the training ground. Why did you have to be in a different place aside from the three obvious ones!? Because of you, Reever is going to kill me for not approving those papers, and I actually felt motivated to do them today!"**

**The Japanese man sighed, returning to his food and eating another mouthful of soba noodles before responding. "Che. Sounds like a personal problem to me."**

**There was a pause and an aura of seething from behind him. He groaned. He wasn't going to win this match, anyways, so he gave up and returned his empty bowl to Jerry's window, sighing. This was a long day… Komui led the way back to the lab where he sat down, shuffling through the papers and finding the report that had Kanda's handwriting on it. "In your report, you said there were at least forty different level-two Akuma, right? All of which seemed to be rather tall. And you also said that one of the level two's was rather persistent and managed to get away from you."**

"**Yes."**

**Komui gazed up at him. "You didn't put the reason down why you let him get away, Kanda, aside from the fact that the three of you were injured. Obviously you had to have been distracted in order for it to get away from you."**

**Kanda frowned. How did he leave that detail out? "There was a man, looked like he was in his late twenties. He was a member of the Noah, name was Tyki Mikk. He was trying to kill Allen, but apparently was called back from the Earl." His frown grew. "He said that he was trying to complete his mission of killing him." It turned to a look of complete disgust. Whether it was to himself or something else, nobody would know. "Che."**

**Komui penned it all down onto the report, then scanned a little lower. "It also says here that you were in the wrong town where the incidents were happening. Kanda…" he looked back at him. "Are you feeling okay? You have never, in your entire career of being an Exorcist, screwed up this badly."**

**To that, Kanda said nothing. He knew. He just wished everyone would shut up about it. **

"**Well, never mind," Komui said before having a sip of his coffee. "In two days, you're going back to Sweden and finishing up your job, okay? Inspector Link has requested that he comes with you, too, and so we are going to be keeping Bookman here in the Order. Lavi should be okay by that… I think."**

**Inspector Link… Oh, right, that guy who was supposed to be watching over Allen just in case the 14th**** Noah was to appear in him. "Che. That damn rabbit needs to learn to leave by himself, anyways. Can I go now?"**

"**Hold on--"**

**His hands slammed onto the table, veins throbbing. "Komui, my patience is running thin. Can't you just brief this to Moyashi or somebody else? I'm tired and I want to sleep or maybe even practice. I don't…" He trailed off, noticing that the scientist was covering his mouth and giggling. He blinked. What was there to laugh about? He felt a sudden tug at his hair and his eyes widened, turning slowly to see the most annoying face in the world.**

"**Heya Yuu-chan!" Lavi was just asking for a death with, intentionally or not. "Y'see? I braided it all prettily while you were distracted by Komui the entire time! I hope you like pink, because that's the ribbons I put it up in."**

**There was a sound of crashing, then banging, then something breaking (possibly a window) and then a faint muffled noise that sounded like a call for help. Lenalee paused at the door, wondering if she was making a huge mistake by coming into her brother's lab. She hesitated a second longer when the cry for help grew louder. It was definitely Lavi's voice, she just knew. She sighed heavily before opening the door to see books scattered everywhere, Komui's glasses on the floor partially cracked, he himself hiding behind his desk as Lavi was blocking Mugen with his hammer. The man holding the sword had the most deadliest of glares she had ever seen, but it was rendered pathetic by all of the tiny little pink hair ribbons attached to his head. She covered her mouth to hold back a laugh as all eyes were on her.**

"**Sorry to barge in, but Allen is okay," she said. "Matron is seeing to it that he doesn't try to leave again without permission… And do I dare ask what the heck is going on here?"**

"**Che." Kanda's grip around the hilt of Mugen grew even more intense as he tried to break the handle of the hammer. "This Baka Usagi is going to die. That's all there is to know."**

"**W-W-Wait, Yuu-chan!" Lavi was growing desperate. "I-It was just a jo-- Eep!" Kanda jumped up and over Lavi and landed behind him with his flank exposed, then aimed almost perfectly if it hadn't been for Lenalee who grabbed him by the wrist and threw him across the room. He connected hard with the bookshelf on the opposite wall, causing several large books to conk him on the top of his head. He slumped over in defeat as his consciousness gave out on him. Lenalee frowned.**

"**Listen, Lavi," she said, brushing the dust off of her skirt. "Next time, when you want to braid his hair, make sure he's not co-- What are you doing?"**

**He hesitated with another pink ribbon in his mouth, his hands tying more of Kanda's hair into little braids. "Uh… Nothing?"**

**She shook her head. "No, you idiot, you're doing it wrong. Here, let me help."**

**Komui came out from behind his desk. "…Lenalee, you're going to die if you help him--"**

"**Oh, pssh. I've been wanting to do this for the longest time," she said, grinning. "C'mon, Lavi, let me help."**

"…**Oh… kay…?"**

* * *

**Allen sighed, the back of his head throbbing more than it did earlier. Why did life suck so much for him? And why the sudden moment of angst? He had been having a lot of those lately, ever since he had been seeing that 'thing' along with his reflection in the mirrors. Was he really going to turn into the 14****th**** Noah? He didn't want to. That was the last thing he would ever want to become, being one of the Earl's helpers. **

**But right now he was hungry. And tired. His eyes scanned around the room before closing them again. Maybe he could dream about Mana once more. That would be nice. Mana… He drifted in and out of sleep when a blood-curdling yell that sounded like, "What the hell did you do to me?!?!" caused him to sit up, utterly confused. **

**It sounded a lot like Kanda's voice… Maybe he was training? Curiosity nagged him and kept nagging him as he heard more yells and a lot of laughs. Then some breaking and screams. Was the place being attacked? No, because if it was, Matron would have told him. He laid back down onto the pillows and closed his eyes once more, hoping for the noises to go away. But they didn't and wouldn't as the door slammed wide open, two people with familiar faces running in with happy and scared expressions upon them.**

'_**Whatever it is, I want no part of it,' **_**he thought as they both hid behind his bed.**

"**A-Allen! Y-Yuu-chan has gone mad!" Lavi whispered, crouching behind Lenalee. "He's trying to kill us!"**

**He groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Does he have a legitimate reason to?"**

"**Well…" Lenalee scratched her cheek with her pointer finger. "Ehe…"**

"**Where are you two?! Give me back my clothes, now!" Kanda yelled. Allen blinked. What, was Kanda naked? He opened one eye and looked to where Kanda was standing, then choked and sat up entirely to get a better look. No, but this was much better. His hair was in two girlish pigtails, a white sun hat on his head and in a light blue dress that was as high as Lenalee's miniskirt. Allen's eyes grew wide, then started to laugh so hard his lungs and stomach hurt. He didn't even care.**

"**Give. Me. Back. My. Clothes," he said dangerously. "I would have changed in my room, but you both took all of them. Give them back! Now!"**

"**Aw, c'mon, Yuu-chan, it's not all that bad--"**

"**NOW!"**

"**Eep! Moyashi, help us!"**

"**It's… Allen," he said between laughs and heavy breathes to try to keep himself under control. "Oh… my God… that… Hehehe… Oh… You two should probably give him back his clothes now… Before he kills you… Hehehe…"**

"**You're next on my list, Moyashi," he said as he swiped back his uniform from Lavi's hands. "You're ALL dead." And he stormed out with not another word. There was a long pause before Allen went back into hysterics. **

"**Glad you found it funny, Allen," Lenalee smiled honestly. "You haven't laughed so hard for a while now, it was starting to make me sad. I'm going to go help the efforts to pick up what was damaged before Hurricane Kanda came through."**

**She got up, pulling Lavi along with him. "We'll be back later. Oh! Did you want anything to eat?"**

**He nodded. "But I'm afraid I might ask too much for you to carry…"**

"**That's why we've got Lavi," she grinned. "I'll get you some food, okay? See ya!"**

"**W-What do you mean by that, Lena--?!" Lavi started, but the two left before Allen could hear the rest of the question. He found himself still chuckling. The infamous hard-ass Kanda Yuu, wearing a blue mini-dress thing… He laughed harder. Those legs couldn't be anymore manlier than they were, though they did have a tiny curve to them. He sighed. That was the best visual ever of Kanda. He would never forget it.**

**Not to mention it was perfect blackmail material, too.**

* * *

'_**Moyashi saw me in a dress… Everyone… Oh… Che!' **_

**He took off the ruffled piece of clothing and tossed it aside, putting on his exorcist uniform quickly. That felt so much better than that stupid thing. He was going to burn it later, along with Lavi, Lenalee, and Allen. And maybe even Komui, just for good measure. He groaned. He would never be taken seriously ever again. Never, ever again. He would have to be twice as mean for anything he said to get through to anybody. **

'_**Damn!' **_**he thought. **_**'Everyone else I can deal with, but Moyashi?! He's going to use this against me for the rest of my life! Che! And I can't kill him until he becomes a goddamn Noah! Urgh!'**_

**The adrenaline rush lasted for about thirty more seconds before he let out a sigh, his embarrassment along with it. He was Kanda Yuu. He could scare an Akuma into pure states of shock, so why not do the same to the rest of them? But, unlike the Akuma, he couldn't kill anyone in the building. Yet. Until Allen changed. Until such a time, he would have to wait. He locked the door of his room and sighed, touching the back of his head and making sure that the books didn't do any permanent damage. Probably not. His reputation was probably more damaged in this situation… **

'_**If Allen decides to fucking bring it up ever again, I'll cut him in two,' **_**he thought, then grabbed a book off of the floor and frowned. **_**'Che. Even in my thoughts, I'm still calling him by his name! Damn, what is getting into me… Maybe I really do just need to sleep.'**_

**After putting the book onto the table on the side, he laid down his head upon the soft pillow, sleep almost instantly taking over him.**

* * *

**Short chapter. Ugh. I hate writing short chapters… Sorry… But I just couldn't think of a way to end this one… Thank you for all the favourite stories from last chapter! I got ten, I think! And two reviews! Thank you thank you THANK YOU! So, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! See you in three! --K.S.**


	3. One Little Two Little Three Little Akuma

**HOLY CRAP. I came back from over the weekend and had 30 new messages. All of which were either reviews or favourite story nominations for this story ALONE. O_O Thank you thank you THANK YOU! Oh mi gosh! You made this author very, very happy! Without further ado, let me introduce you to 'Niveous Sky' Chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.**

* * *

**3. One Little Two Little Three Little Akuma**

**Two days had passed, and everything came out smoothly. No one dared to pick on Kanda when he came out the next day, and better yet, no one even mentioned the incident that happened on the previous day, except for Allen, who asked, "Oh, hello, **_**Princess**_** Kanda! How are you today?", which resulted in a further internal bleeding and put him in critical condition. So long as he was short of killing him, he could do whatever he wanted to the little bean-sprout. **

**The morning rose, but it didn't lift any of his spirits at all. A mission needed to be done, and he needed to not screw up this time. His always-worn frown grew at the second there was a three-time knock upon the wooden door. Judging by the light-heartedness of it, it could only be one person. And seeing that person first thing in the morning was a bad thing. He sat up, quickly switching into his Exorcist uniform, put his hair back and grasped Mugen. "…Che. What?"**

"**Uhm…" He was wrong. It wasn't who expected at all. "…Uh… Kanda-kun?"**

**He hesitated before approaching the door, then opened it slowly. Miranda was giving him a weak smile and looked as if she were going to faint at any second. "Uh… Komui sent me along with you guys… Because Inspector Link and Lavi both got sick… So I'm, uh, going to go along with you guys, if you don't mind."**

**He thought about it for a moment, then gave her a cold stare. "Che. You're better than that Baka Usagi anyways. Getting sick… What a moron."**

**Miranda faltered for words and wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she gave another weak smile and walked away, then paused. "Oh! Right, Kanda-kun, uh, we are to meet at the Ark fairly soon… Like, in fifteen minutes… Allen and I will be there… So make sure to--"**

**Kanda brushed past her, ignoring mostly everything she had said, aside from the two statements that were 'Ark' and 'Fifteen Minutes'. He frowned and found himself hungry, but his stomach would have to wait. They needed to get to Sweden. But the town they were going to, it still required to take the train, given how far on the outskirts the actual town they were supposed be in was. His frown deepened. That meant having to stay on a train with a woman with no backbone and a bean-sprout who knew no manners. This was a new definition of the phrase, 'Bad Day'.**

**He leaned against the wall impatiently by the Ark's gate and sighed. This was going to take too long. He was already there, and yet, neither of his companions were there with him. So how long was the mission going to be? That was probably the biggest mystery there was to this entire ordeal. How long was he going to have to deal with Bean Sprout? He'd rather be with Tiedoll and Marie… Hell, even Zokalo Winters would be better, and that guy was a bit crazier than he could deal with.**

**Allen walked up to him, the smirk visible from three miles away. "How is your morning so far, Princess Kanda? Did you get the proper amount of sleep a lady is supposed to get? Or did you perhaps--"**

**Miranda managed to stop the blow with her Innocence that would have connected otherwise. The Japanese man's hands were twitching violently, grasped around the hilt of Mugen, eyes giving off the worst aura that Allen had ever seen. It was a sign that he should more than likely let go of the entire 'Princess' thing. It sucked that he couldn't call him Princess in another language he did not understand. If only Lavi were here, he could tell him what Princess was in Latin… "So, are we ready to go or not?"**

"**Che. I was half-ready to leave you behind."**

"**S-Stop arguing?" Miranda said uneasily as she slipped through the gate of the Ark. Kanda followed, and Allen paused before entering himself. Everything felt funny. It was not a bad feeling, but more of an unsteady balance of what is right and what is wrong kind of thing. What if he did turn into the Noah during this mission? Would he turn on his friends and kill them? He shivered, then stepped through the gate of the Ark.**

**That was not the problem right now.**

**Right now, they had a mission to do.**

* * *

**As Kanda predicted, they boarded a train that was heading past the town. It would take about five hours, with all the stops and such, but all in all, it wasn't as bad as he expected. Allen fell asleep the second he sat down, and Miranda stared vacantly out the window, leaving him to re-brief the mission. This time, he would make sure of it that he would not screw up. He turned the page, scanning the reports of more and more deaths that were occurring, most of which were from the Akuma itself. He felt his grip around the folder tighten. If it had been killing a lot during the past three, four days, then no doubt would it probably be a level three. Still nothing major to handle. So long as it didn't reach a level four, everything would be all good. **

**Miranda stood up, stretching lightly. "I'm going to go get something to eat… Uh… Did you want anything, Kanda--?"**

"**No." **

**She said nothing in response, just giving him a look of half-sadness and half-worthlessness, and left to find some food. Kanda frowned and closed the compartment door that she absentmindedly left open, then resumed onto reading. His eyes scanned the report, then looked over the edge of the paper and glared at the sleeping British exorcist. If Lavi were here, his face would have already been vandalized. And maybe then he would have something against Allen so that he'd stop calling him 'Princess'. If only that stupid rabbit didn't get sick… He closed the folder and closed his eyes, annoyed. **

"**Are you sleeping, Princess Kanda?" **

**He opened one eye in response, a bit too tired to do anything right then to him. "Che. If you ever call me that ever again, you're a dead man, Allen." He closed his eyes again and sighed. "Why not bug Miranda?"**

"**Well, Miran--Wait, WHAT?" When there was a thud that seemed to have resulted in shock, Kanda groaned, then opened his eyes completely. **

"**Che. What?"**

**The boy was as far away from him as possible, arms put up and his face reading the expression of utter confusion and shock. His upper lip would not stop twitching, eyes as wide as they were when Kanda was in a dress. The folder that Kanda put on the table had fallen to the floor, some of the papers scattering as a result. "Y-You… You… Did you hit your head or something?! What the heck is getting into you, Kanda?! You are acting completely out of character! When did you start…?" he paused, then sighed. "Oh, it's probably because you are tired. You probably didn't even realize it… I'm sorry. Just ignore me, okay?"**

**He expected an answer that would have been, "Che" or even, "I ignore you as is already", but instead, Kanda rose an eyebrow, confused. "No, I did not hit my head. How am I acting out of character?"**

"**Prime example number two!" Allen cried. "Seriously, Kanda, did you get drugged by Komui to make you seem nice or something?! You should have yelled at me! And you also keep calling me 'Allen' instead of 'Moyashi' or whatever it is!"**

"**Nice. Che," Kanda picked up the fallen papers that laid scattered upon the floor and sighed. "Are you sure you're not hallucinating?"**

"**Are you sure **_**you're**_** not hallucinating?"**

**There was no response to that, only a very muddled look of hate within the man's eyes before he returned to putting the papers back in order. Allen paused, wanting to say something more, but the door rattled open with Miranda standing there quietly. She gave a faint smile, one that seemed to be questioning the scene, before sitting down beside Kanda and gazing out the window. It went like that for approximately five minutes before Allen couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the folder and threw it at Kanda's face, wanting to see his reaction. He raised an eyebrow.**

"**Moyashi…"**

**The boy tried not to flinch as Kanda moved, but then realized he wasn't moving to grab Mugen. Instead, he picked up the folder that had landed on the seat beside him and placed it back off on the side, sighing, and closed his eyes as if he wanted to sleep. There was a brief pause. Miranda, who was still watching the two, then realized something was terribly wrong with this picture. Allen had just **_**thrown**_** something at **_**Kanda**_** and was still breathing, still unscathed, still not screaming for assistance. She wondered if she should say something, but decided against it and tried to talk about something relevant. "So, uh, this mission we're supposed to do… How… tough do you think the Akuma will be? And, uh, where would the Innocence…?"**

**Neither of the two men beside her said a word, for Kanda was sound asleep, and Allen was still in shock. She really didn't want to intrude upon them, but Allen was probably just overreacting. Kanda did seem tired as of late, and it was probably effecting his ability to stay normal. "Uh… Guys?"**

"**Ah! Sorry, Miranda," Allen replied sheepishly. "Well, the report did say something about it being a level three Akuma now, because of all the people that it managed to kill… And by now, the Innocence might have found its way to its accommodator, with any luck. If anything strange starts happening in the town we arrive at, then we will know that the Innocence was found…" He hesitated, then reached out and touched Kanda's cheek, frowning. "What do you think his problem is? I don't think that he's just tired… Even if he was, he would never call me by name…"**

**She shook her head. "I-I really don't know… Maybe this isn't his week or something… Or maybe 'failing' a mission really did effect him more than we thought. Did… uh… something happen on the mission last time when you, Lavi and Kanda tried to complete it, or has this, uh, recently happened?"**

**Allen smiled softly at her. Miranda was really a nice person, it was just she sometimes took things over-the-top and off-the-edge. "I really don't know. Most of my memories of it are fuzzy, probably because of the blood loss… I wish I could remember… But I do remember that I let an Akuma go… but the reason why… I don't… know… I'm sorry."**

**She put her hands up as if it wasn't a problem, her mouth opened to speak, but the train whistle drowned out whatever she was going to say. Kanda's eyes opened slowly, look of annoyance on his face, as the train slowed to a stop. "Che. Are we there or what?"**

"**No, sorry. There's a stop at one town before we get there," Allen said, yawning. He was growing quite tired himself, but he just didn't want to admit it. "And I'm pretty sure that's why the train stopped, but it's kind of odd… I see nothing but trees outside the window. I wonder if we really are out in the middle of no where?"**

"**I hope so. Then I can throw you out the window and you'd never be found," Kanda said simply.**

"**Hey--!" Allen started, but a faint crashing noise interrupted him. There was a pause before he continued. "That sound… What do you think that was…?"**

**There was a faint yelp from outside the compartment, then another resounding crash that caused all three exorcists to jump up, utterly confused. Miranda reached to open the door, but a body of one of the train conductors came flying through it, knocking her over and breaking through the window, landing on the tracks. Allen's and Kanda's eyes widened, looking at each other with sheer shock and confusion before a person came in, breathing heavily. "G-Get out of the train! Th-These things came out of no where and--!"**

**Allen's eye activated then, recognizing that the woman in front of them was actually your standard level-one Akuma, and activated his Innocence before her face morphed and had a gun sticking out of it. He sliced her in two pieces and frowned. "There's bound to be more of them! Kanda, you take the front and I'll look in the back! Miranda, are you okay?!"**

**She didn't budge as the boy grimaced. Kanda frowned and jumped out of the window himself, look of pure annoyance on his face. "Che. And here I was, bound to be sleeping more…" He paused before grabbing her and turned his head to the left, thinking that he heard something. Coming towards the train itself, over two hundred miles an hour (at least), was another Akuma that had taken the form of a train. His eyes widened. "Shi-- Allen, get out of there, now!"**

**He blinked. "Why, what is--?"**

"**Don't ask questions and just move--!" Kanda started, but was cut off by the foul screaming of the Akuma's 'whistle'. He knew he had to move Miranda out of there. Moyashi would just have to figure it out himself within the next two seconds. He picked her up and dove off of the tracks as Allen's eyes grew wide and tried to get off in the remaining second he had. To his dismay, he didn't make it. The Akuma connected to the train and caused a massive explosion that erupted the entire train into flames. The Akuma, once doing so, managed to come to a screeching halt two hundred feet later. It laughed sickly enough to make unborn babies want to die. **

"**That felt GREAT!" it roared. "I wonder how many people I got with that, hmm?" It glanced over to see Kanda and Miranda, both of which were still struggling to get up. "Hmm? A couple of exorcists… Well, isn't today my lucky day!"**

**Kanda was ignoring him as he quickly scanned the area. There was no sign of him. Did he dive like he did and end up in the bushes? Or did he not make it? A sudden feeling of panic seized him-- He had promised Lenalee before he left to see to it that Allen would not die. And if he was dead… Miranda stood up shakily, eyes wide at the sight of the Akuma who was turning back into a human. It had pale skin, messy brown hair and eyes that looked like a sewer. It was hard to imagine that the thing was indeed female. It grinned at them. "By the looks of it, you two seem as if you're missing something… or someone. Tell me, was one of your little exorcist friends also on the train?"**

**Miranda quickly glanced at Kanda, who was growing paler with each passing second. Was Allen really dead…? No, that was impossible-- Allen couldn't be dead, not now, not ever. He was, after all, the Destroyer of Worlds or Time or however it went. She never really paid any attention to details. She just knew that Bookman said that he was destined to kill off the Millennium Earl. He could not be dead.**

"**If he was," it continued, "you know full-well that your little friend was taken out along with everyone else on this train. It's still burning-- So even if he or she was still alive, they're dead now. Now give us the Innocence!"**

**It turned back into its form, the train, and headed right towards them. Miranda activated her Innocence quickly and stopped it from connecting with them. It glared at them heavily, annoyed, and tried to break through the time barrier, but failed. Kanda leapt up and cut the Akuma in two, and it was over. It shrieked, then faded to dust, the soul completely cleansed. He grunted, putting Mugen back in it's sheath. "Che. It said us, didn't it?" Miranda nodded and he sighed. "Go figure. Akuma never do anything by themselves. It really annoys me. Hey, Moyashi--" he paused, then the realization hit him again-- Allen was still missing. Miranda looked at him desperately.**

"**Y-You don't think he died, do you?" she dared to ask. He didn't answer as he headed towards the burning remains of the train they were just previously on. Bodies of other passengers were scattered about. It was almost too sickening to look at. He worked his way from the back, trying to remember what section they were in. He came up with either four or five as he counted the remains of the sections. He glanced over his shoulder, and idea hitting him. "Miranda. Re-make the train like you did with the boat several missions back."**

"**H-How did you…?"**

"**The Baka Usagi told me about it," Kanda frowned. "Can you just remake the train to make this job a bit easier? If his body is on the ground, then we'd see it. It's rather hard with all of these damn fragments all over the place. If not, I'll investigate inside."**

**She nodded slowly, then made it so the train was back together again. "B-Be careful, Kanda-- I'll warn you if I see another Akuma coming towards us."**

**He simply nodded as he looked around the train outside. There were a bunch of bodies, but none of them were the bean sprout's. He sighed and entered the train by the door at the front, covering his mouth the second he got in. It smelled of decaying, blood, and the curse that the Akuma gave out. There was a train conductor's hat where the driver of it was sitting, but nothing more of a pile of dust of he himself remained. The Earl had some nerve, attacking trains out of no where. He frowned more. If the Akuma were attacking trains, then that meant they had yet to locate the Innocence. Which could have been a good thing or a bad thing. But that wasn't the problem right now.**

**It felt oddly quiet as he passed into the next section. Too many dead people to count-- he was going to have to explain this to Komui. But this time it technically wasn't his fault. It would have happened if he hadn't been there, too. Then why did he feel so guilty? He shook that thought away and briskly walked into the next section and frowned. This was it. He opened compartment number six's door slowly to reveal the report and nothing else. Allen was missing. He cursed under his breath and broke the window again before jumping out of it. He shook his head. "Che. There was no sign of him."**

"**A-Allen…" Miranda looked beyond upset, her body trembling more than it usually did. Kanda grew more panicked. Of all the people…! He looked around again, frown increasing in strength before he gave up and started calling him out. When there was no response, he gave up, sighing heavily. She gave him a look. "Y-You're giving up…?"**

"**What else do you expect me to do? Che. That idiot probably was vaporized in the flames, good riddance." He kicked at the ground once which cued Miranda to go into shock. Kanda looked pale. Was Kanda actually worried, too? **

"**W-We could go looking for him…"**

"**Where else would he be?!" he snapped, angry. Miranda flinched. "If he's not within this vicinity, then obviously he's not around, now is he, Miranda?!"**

"**S-Sorry," she whispered so quietly that Kanda almost didn't even hear her. He grimaced. "B-But, uhm, d-did you check the e-entire train? I-It could be that, uhm, he was thrown back several compartments…"**

**He was completely dumbfounded. Right, the collision of the Akuma running into the train would have sent him flying back, wouldn't it? For a split second, Kanda felt utterly stupid and incompetent. He groaned as he re-approached the train, starting from section four onwards. At the second-to-last section, he saw the British exorcist face-down on the floor, looking to have lost consciousness. "Che. Found him!" he called, and Miranda seemed to hear him as he picked him up and exited out the back way of the train. Shortly there after it fell back into rubble. **

"**Che. Let's get going to that town," he said tiredly. "If we run, we can make there in three hours, tops." he frowned. "You know, it's times like these that the Baka Usagi could actually be useful. Damn him for getting sick… Or maybe even Lenalee…"**

**Miranda blinked, unable to speak, staring up at the sky. Kanda didn't take notice to this as he began walking onwards on the train tracks when a very heavy 'thud' got his attention. He recognized it immediately as he sighed. "You're timing could not have been any better, **_**baka**_**."**

"**Not nice at all, Yuu-chan, after I've come to save the day!" Lavi pouted, then blinked. "Wow, who the hell tore apart the train? Did Allen really piss you off that badly?"**

**He shook his head. "Akuma."**

"**I know, I know, I was just joking, Yuu," the apprentice Bookman sighed before coughing. Kanda rose an eyebrow. The moron was still sick, and he probably snuck out, too, while he was at it. "Well, anyways, I'm here to do my part of the mission, too! Grab onto the handle, okay?"**

"**Che."**

**Lavi just grinned at them as Miranda and Kanda--who Lavi advised to hold onto Allen a lot tighter than he was--grabbed onto the Time-Shifting Hammer's handle. "Alright, now! Innocence! Jump! Jump! Jump~~~!"**

**Without any warning, the handle extended rather quickly that would have related to an elevator moving from the 1st**** floor to the 75****th**** floor in just 45 seconds. **

**And like that, the gang arrived to where they should have gotten to without any problems. The Japanese exorcist frowned, looking at the knocked-out Allen. **

**This was going to be a **_**very**_** long mission…**

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**Woo-hoo, Chapter 3, done! So, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It is very much so appreciated! Oh yeah, and things grow even more complicated starting next chapter. See you in 4! --K.S.**


	4. Internal Complications

Oh, dear. In writing this Man fic, I have completely neglected the Naruto ones I have… But we all know that Man is totally better than Naruto… So uh yes. Anyways, to answer a PM I got-- 'Niveous' means 'snow coloured'. Comes from 15th century Latin, _'niv' _meaning 'snow'. So yeah! Anyways, let us commence forthwith with chapter 4 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? _DAMN WELL BETTER!_

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4. Internal Complications

It was growing dark fairly quickly as they walked through the town. All eyes were on them, all of them quickly locking their doors and making sure of it that nothing could get in-- or out -- of their houses. The streets were completely bare. The group of exorcists unconsciously moved closer to one another as they saw a little boy walk towards them, then he stopped, and ran in the other direction, crying for his mother. The woman gave them all harsh looks before quickly retreating into their house.

"Oh… kay…" Lavi looked around before going into another coughing fit. "I think we're kinda hated… And we haven't even done anything yet. We're supposed to find the Innocence, right?"

Kanda nodded, eyes darting around. "…Che, what are all these people afraid of?"

There was no response from any other exorcist as they proceeded onwards. It was a ghost town, even though there were living people within it, but it seemed that it may as well not have had any people within it. They approached the lone self-proclaimed inn with the name of 'The Lost Scarecrow' with caution. They were recently attacked by an Akuma, after all-- God only knew if another one was going to come after them… Miranda opened the door and pushed through first, and all eyes were on them. All of the patron's faces paled and immediately turned away from them-- even the person behind the desk.

"…Yuu-chan, any idea why…?" Lavi whispered as they followed Miranda up to the desk.

He shook his head. Miranda looked over her shoulder to them and looked back at the person behind the desk. He was cowering slightly, as if he were ready to give all of his money to them. "Uhm."

"G-G-Go on, do whatever you want!" he cried, his legs giving out and falling to the floor. "J-Just don't hurt us, please!"

Kanda pushed past Miranda and shoved her out of the way as he stared down at the person. "…We're not going to hurt you, we're just trying to figure out what's going on around here. Why is everyone here so scared?"

The man rose to his feet, hands behind his back and biting his lower lip. "W-Well, it dealt with an incident that occurred over a week ago, when the new train station that was built to replace the new one officially opened. The first people to get on the train via that way… never came back. We found the train in ruins about twenty miles up that way," he jabbed his finger to the left, "and all the remains of the people were dust pile and the occasional hat… And ever since, every train that has tried to travel this way has been completely destroyed… We grew afraid that it was a monster that could take the guise of many forms, even humans, because of the other incidents that are going on…"

"That explains a lot," he frowned. "The train me and my companions were on was destroyed not too long ago… But what other incidents are happening?"

The man paused, fidgeting a little as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Well, two major things come to mind, stranger. One, there is this thing that comes every night and tries to kill people. If it hits you, you generally are dead by the Pentacle-Curse. Every doctor in town tried to come up with a remedy, but so far, we have yet to find one. The other… The older inn, the one that came before this one… The reason we had to change was because every time a patron took a room, they disappeared, and the next day, they returned, gibbering and making strange noises that were not human. The doctors are trying to treat them, too, but it seems like there is nothing we can do…"

Kanda's weight shifted to his other foot, his grip on Allen tightening. The first one was an Akuma, no doubt about it. The one destroying the trains was also an Akuma, but he was pretty sure that it was now taken care of. But the third one… It sounded like a haunting of a ghost or something. Or maybe it was the Innocence. Lavi covered his mouth and coughed into his arm, growing more pale. "We're going to be investigating for you guys, and if it's under our expertise, we can get rid of these problems for you, okay? Me, Yuu-chan, Miranda and Allen here, we'll do it together! …But first we need a room."

The man nodded, pulling out a set of keys. "Would you like one room or two? I imagine the lady would want her own separate room, but the rooms only have two beds in them. Is that okay?"

Kanda was about to protest but Lavi nodded eagerly beforehand. "Uh-huh! Sounds good to us, right, Yuu-chan?"

He could have sworn he saw Mugen being unsheathed, but it was too quick to tell as he heard Kanda mutter something that sounded like "not worth it". They followed the man up the stairs and into the small rooms that were there. The colouring was okay-- your typical brown wood, probably made from ash, for the floor and white walls. "This can be your room, stranger males."

"We're called Exorcists!" Lavi said cheerfully, pointing to the cross on his uniform. "We're from what we call the Black Order! I would say we deal with the paranormal, but that's not quite it."

"Is that so?" the man rose an eyebrow. "Well, then, strangers, I hope you can help our town to be back in order again. If you need anything, just call for me and I'll assist you with whatever you need. Okay, madam, this way…"

He closed the door, leaving three of the four Exorcists alone in the room. Lavi broke into another coughing fit, it being longer than the other ones, but he tried to ignore it and smiled at Kanda. "So, Yuu, what're we gonna do with Allen-chan? And why the hell is he still knocked out? Are you sure you didn't knock him out or something?"

"I would have done more than just knock him out."

"Hah hah, guess you're right."

"Che."

"Anyways…" Lavi pulled Allen off of Kanda's shoulders and dropped the British exorcist onto the bed, sighing. "I have a feelin' we're dealing with several level two Akuma and a possible level three…" he frowned. "But I'm not to sure 'bout the entire older inn thingy. It could be the Innocence, yeah, but it just started happenin' recently, so I really don't know…" he coughed again. Kanda rose an eyebrow. "'Less of course it got an accommodator by now, which actually makes sense…"

"Baka Usagi."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you here when you're fucking sick?" There was a strange hint of annoyance in the older man's voice, a little hint of actual... Caring? Lavi couldn't put his finger on it as he coughed again, frowning.

"I couldn't let poor Mir-Mir-chan be all by herself while you and Allen-chan fight all of the time," he admitted. "She'd get killed in the cross-fire… Speaking of which… I just realized, there are only two beds… And Allen-chan's still knocked out…"

'_I don't care if he's sick-- I really want to cut him in two.' _He let out an irritated sigh, one with heavy annoyance and hate, as he placed Mugen off to one side. "You share with Allen. I get my own bed."

"Who spared you from running in the sun for about three hours while the possibility of another Akuma might attack you?" Lavi reminded, grin on his face. "I think I deserve it."

"Che."

The lone female exorcist in the group walked in, small smile on her face and not noticing the rising tension in the room. "Uhm… I just wanted to ask… We're investigating tomorrow, right? Because it is actually growing dark fairly quickly, and Allen still needs to wake up, so…"

"Mir-Mir-chan, question! Who do you think is more deserving of the bed and to not share one with Allen, me or Yuu?"

'_Huh? He's asking my opinion on something… Somebody wants my opinion…' _Her thoughts raced, utterly confused and not knowing how to respond. Her mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. _'Wh-What if I say the wrong thing? What if they get mad with me? Oh, no, they should not be asking me this! AUGH!' _Lavi and Kanda stared at her, noticing the wide array of emotions crossing her face. Her eyes widened. _'Oh no! I'm taking too long! What do I do? What do I do?!'_

"…Lavi…"

The three of them blinked, their eyes slightly widening by the addition of a fourth voice. It was obviously Allen's, but he should have not been functioning at the moment… He groaned, rolling over on his side facing them, eyes still shut. He looked slightly more pale than usual, but the white hair might have helped with the way the lighting was. "…Lavi is more deserving… Ba-Kanda can… sleep on the floor…"

Lavi gave Kanda a smug grin that nearly resulted in a beating, him retreating out of the room temporarily. Miranda felt extremely out of place. "Uhm. I'm going to pick up some more… information… It seems like there should be something else, too… So I'll be back before it gets too dark… And, uhm, Kanda? C-Could you not kill either Lavi or Allen? I know you hate them, b-but…"

He wasn't paying any attention to the last part she as saying as he nodded. "If you're not back… I'll send the Baka Usagi to go looking for you."

She gave him a hesitant smile as she walked out, leaving the door open so that Lavi could come back in. He gave him a look of confusion. "So… Where's Miranda goin'? And is Allen awake or was that just a temporary fluke?"

He ignored him as he sat on the floor, sighing, partially annoyed. With Miranda getting more information, he hadn't much to do. "Che. She went to gather more information on what the hell has been going on around here. She thinks there is more to it than what the owner had said."

Lavi contemplated the given information and nodded. "M'kay! I'm gonna go follow her, alright, Yuu-chan?"

"Don't call me that."

"Yeah, yeah," the apprentice Bookman just waved at him as he was half-way out of the room. "You watch over Moyashi-chan while we're gone, okay? Once we get more information, we'll be sure to tell ya. Toodle-loo!" He quickly retreated as he tried to locate where Miranda was, leaving Kanda with an annoyed look on his face and Allen basically at his mercy. The thought of smothering all of them-- excluding Miranda-- was unbelievable, but he resisted as he stood up and looked down on him.

_Idiot got done in by a train. So stupid. He should have died on that train, too. And I would be happy for once_. He sat down beside the bed, frown deepening. _Then… Why did I panic when I realized that he could have been dead? What in the seven hells is going on with my head? That stupid bean sprout. Stupid, stupid Allen… So stupid…Che. Maybe he has grown even stupider ever since he let that Akuma get away… But was that my fault?_

He didn't know. But he did know. He frowned. He didn't want to go over it in his head more than it was already re-playing, but he knew damn well that _he_ fucked it up, _he_ actually let that Akuma get away, and the reason _why_ he did it was beyond any reason of his imagination. If he said he were distracted, it would have been a slight understatement. But Allen never did let that Akuma get away. He did. And God only knew it could grow to a level four because of his mistake. He grinded his teeth together, anger apparent, as his fingers clutched the fabric of his own clothes. Worst of all, he did not want to accept why he was distracted. It was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

Allen's eyes opened slowly to see stars and bright, shiny things. Did he get a concussion? Or maybe he was still sleeping? He heard the groaning of someone beside him, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was Kanda Yuu. But why would he be groaning? Was he sick? Maybe he had the same thing that Lavi and Link had… If that was true, then that would be pretty bad for the mission… He blinked once, then realized he was not on a train somewhere. He sat up, startled, and then saw Kanda giving him a ridiculed look.

"W-Where are we…?"

"If you hadn't passed out, you would know. Che."

"Listen, Ba-Kanda, I wouldn't be talking to you unless it was of something of importance. Are we in the town or what? And what happened?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Kanda!"

There was a pause as both men had radiation of anger surrounding them, only Kanda's seemed more deadlier, due to Allen having the possible concussion. It remained quiet for a fairly long time, neither of them willing to talk to one another. He frowned. Why was Kanda here, anyways? And where was Miranda? If anything, she should be greeting him first, not him… Was this also a symptom of his strange behaviour…?

"Uh, Kanda, sorry for asking again, but… Are you feeling okay? I mean… you've been acting really strange lately… And I was wondering if it was because you failed a mission and…"

The man twitched. This kid was too fucking _caring_ about everything, too damn _nice _towards anything, and most of all, he was highly annoying that he really did just want to _smother_ the little bastard and make him cry and beg for mercy, and even go as far as to ripping out his intestines and tying him to a tree with them. Yet at the same time…

"…everyone has their bad days! Even the best of people can screw up once in a while-- Huh? Kan… da? You're spacing out... That is so not you..."

"Che. What does it matter?"

An anger mark was the main answer, followed up by yelling that would later induce a migraine. "Kanda! I mean, seriously, can't you see that I'm worried about you?! I mean, granted, we don't get along, but still! It's so obvious that something is wrong with you, and I just want to help… You know?"

"Listen to me." Allen found himself pushed down into the bed, immediately overpowered. He winced. He must have touched a nerve or something. "I don't want anything to deal with you, understand? The second the 14th Noah takes you over is the second Mugen is going to run you through and send you back to hell where you belong. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth, Moyashi? Because I sure as hell can not wait to do that." He got off of him, leaving Allen to cough ferociously from the amount of weight that was just on top of him.

'_H-He's being crueler than usual... W-What's going on with him?'_

* * *

The town records didn't have anything of the recent events that were happening, either. Lavi frowned, shaking his head at Miranda. "Nothing here, either. I swear, it's as if the entire story the guy said was a lie. Or they just don't record things. Where to now?"

"W-Well, a good place for information is a local bar, right?" Miranda suggested. Lavi shrugged as he led the way to the bar, opening the door to reveal the sole person there who was the bartender. He looked to be in his mid-forties with blonde hair and green eyes, wrinkles creased all over his face. His hands looked to have the rugged feel that you would expect of a farmer. He looked up from cleaning one of the tables and waved at them with a warm smile.

"Howdy, strangers. Never seen either of you before. How can I help you?"

Lavi smiled back. "Ah, we're investigatin' the strange things that have been going on around here, but we've hit a wall. We're trying to get clues of as to what it might be, you know?"

The bartender shrugged. "What do you want to know? Loads of information come across these old ears of mine-- I have a habit for listening. But then again, you might get more information from this town's protector, Hagar, who lives several miles up north from here. He has been avid in trying to figure out what the cause of the problems are. But enough of my rambling. The name is Seymour, by the by."

'_Strange accent. He must not be Swedish,' _Lavi concluded as he grinned widely. "I'm Lavi, and the shy woman over there is Miranda. We came with two other people to try and help out your town. Is there anything that you could help us with? Like what the cause of all the people speaking in gibberish and stuff once they reach the old inn? Who used to live there, anyways? Who owned it?"

"Ah, your guess is as good as mine," he said, standing up straight and resting his left hand on the table. "The old inn was built over a hundred years ago, and it served this town well. It was called something different then, something with the owner's last name as a part of it, but he died a long time back and was taken over by someone new and renamed it to 'The Lost Scarecrow'. It's stayed that way ever since." He glanced out the window, pausing as if he were trying to remember something, and sighed. "Other than that, I don't know. I'm sorry. But everyone rumored that it is actually a demon in human form who is making people this way. I don't believe it myself, but these days I don't know what to believe."

"No, that's more than we knew," Lavi said. "Would this Hagar fella be awake right now?"

"Actually, he doesn't allow anyone near his house without permission," Seymour grabbed a glass and poured himself some water. He took a sip before continuing. "He's what we call an enigma. But even so, he would protect this town with his life. There may not be that much here, but we try to make the most of it."

"Thank you for you time--" Lavi broke into another coughing fit, almost not recovering. It was getting worse… He wondered why that was. "--and have a good night!"

"You should probably bathe to get the chills out, then enjoy some hot chocolate while you're at it," Seymour suggested. "It's almost winter soon-- If you get a cold in the middle of winter, as the rumor says, you will die."

'_T-That definitely did not sound ominous at all,'_ Miranda thought as she followed Lavi outside. "S-So we need to talk to the man named Hagar first thing tomorrow, right? To see if he knows anything… Hey, uhm, Lavi? H-Haven't you noticed that Kanda has been acting weird lately?"

"Yeah, he's been acting like that since the last mission," he nodded. "Something must be on his mind, but knowing Yuu-chan, he won't say anything of it. He's always like that. And knowing Allen, he will be as persistent as ever to get it out of him. That's why I kinda came along… I didn't want you to be in the middle of it. And with me around, you have an excuse to get away from them." He grinned widely before coughing again. Now even Miranda was growing concerned. "Anyways, we will be seeing this Hagar guy tomorrow first thing, just so that we don't miss him if he decides he wants to go out or something. By then Allen should be awake and whatever the hell is on Kanda's mind might actually be resolved… But then again…"

The two, who were walking slow to begin with, slowed down to a stop. Neither one of them really had any idea what to do. He looked up blinking. "Ah~ah, that Seymour guy was right-- It does look like it's gonna snow soon! If it does, Mir-Mir-chan, we have to recruit Allen and Kanda to have a snowball fight with us! How often does it snow, anyways? This should be fun!" He began practically skipping down the road, grin plastered to his face. "C'mon, Mir-Mir-chan! Let's get back to the inn before we turn into popsicles! Damn it, and now I'm in the mood for popsicles…"

She didn't have any idea how to react as she just followed him quietly in the darkening, empty streets to the inn that they were going to sleep in. For a moment, she shuddered. Why did she have a feeling that one of them wouldn't make it out of this mission alive?

And why did she feel like it was going to be _Allen_?

* * *

Argh, bad place to end it. I'm so very sorry! So, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And thank you thank you THANK YOU for all the favourites! Holy crap I lost count of all of them! There has to be at least over 40 or so! (It's the most I've had ever. I think? Nah, one of my Naruto ones is more popular.) Even so, I'll see y'all in chapter 5, yatta! --K.S.


	5. You Are Your Own Jester

_**Heya! Welcome to Chapter 5 (already? Wow)! Whether or not this is the half-way mark or not, I really don't know. It might be more, might be less. Give or take. XD; Speaking of snow stuff, three days ago here where I am it snowed! It didn't stay, but it snowed! But anyways, let us commence forthwith with Chapter 5 of 'Niveous Sky', yatta! ^_^**_

_**Disclaimer: -Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better…**_

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* * *

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_**5. You Are Your Own Jester**_

_**By the time the two had returned, Kanda was on one side of the room with a glare on his face while Allen was on the opposite side with the look of confusion and worry on his. And yet neither one of them dared to answer the question of, "What happened?" and just ignored it. The group was basically quiet, and Lavi, who was generally so hyper, was even starting to feel depressed. Miranda excused herself from the room to go back to her own. It was more than likely should would have more fun by herself rather than hanging out with the three non-speaking men in the room. **_

_**After they all ate dinner, Allen began to flick Timcanpy's tail for fun and nearly got his ears eaten off while doing so, Kanda was meditating, and the most upset of them all, Lavi, was doing nothing but glaring at both of them.**_

_**Neither one of them seemed to even care.**_

_**Outside, the clouds were growing quickly, the sun had completely set, and all was quiet except for the winds that were starting to pick up. It was the sound of a storm brewing. What was left of the dead leaves danced around the building and the empty streets as light after light was turned off, the buildings losing their charm along with it. Street lights, which were far and few between, started to turn on, and the last train whistle blew off in the distance before it was suddenly cut off. Lavi's head turned, frowning. He had memorized every train whistle and their length, and that one was far too short to have been completed. But the question was, should he go to investigate? Or should he wait until tomorrow morning? He looked at Allen and Kanda.**_

'_**They didn't even seem to hear that,' **_**he concluded. **_**'And besides, they have done nothing but sulk all day, they're probably tired of doing anything.'**_** He stood up, stretching, and grinned widely at both of them before coughing. "I'm gonna go see what they have for food downstairs. You two can do whatever you want. Oh! And I'm gonna go talk to Mir-Mir-chan afterwards, so I'll be back late," he lied. Allen looked up and smiled at him, waving for him to go on ahead and leave. Kanda didn't even bother.**

**Lavi went out the door and headed down the stairs, leaving the other two men alone within the hotel room. There was a long pause as Allen side glanced over to the meditating swordsman and stared at him. He was going to get him to talk one way or another, and he honestly preferred the one way. He frowned. The thought of breaking Kanda's concentration did not sound like the best idea at that moment… He pretended to play with Timcanpy a little more before he gave up and looked at Kanda again.**

"**Ba-Kanda."**

**No response.**

"**Kanda."**

**Still no response.**

"…**.Princess Kanda."**

"**The fuck, Moyashi?!" Kanda turned his head and glared at him deadly. "Can't you tell I'm trying to meditate?! And so help me God if you call me 'Princess' ever again, I will take your own arm **_**and beat you to death with it!"**_

**Allen blinked. That sounded like something the normal Kanda would say. Maybe he was better, after all? "S-Sorry."**

"**Che." Kanda turned back and closed his eyes, trying to focus again, but was failing utterly because he could feel the pressing stare upon his back. He ignored him as he emptied his mind of any thoughts and breathed slowly and evenly. Allen, who was still curious if he was completely back yet, picked up a pillow and threw it at him. It collided into his head. The samurai blinked open his eyes once, frowned, then closed them again. Nope, he wasn't completely back yet. Allen sighed. "Kanda, you should have tried to kill me. I threw a pillow at you."**

**There was a pause before he responded. "I've decided to ignore idiots like you completely. Not worth my time. Now leave me alone."**

"**But--"**

"**Allen." The lack of any emotion in his voice threw the British exorcist off severely. "Shut up."**

**He did. There was nothing else for him to do. Kanda wasn't going to let him try to help no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did, no matter how desperate he was. All of this wasn't just effecting him, either-- It was effecting the entire group. Even Lavi, who was generally so happy-go-lucky, was acting strange. He sighed as he poked Timcanpy and frowned. **

**An idea hit him then.**

"**Hey," the hint of blackmail was evident in his tone, **_**"Princess Yuu-Chan."**_

**Kanda felt his entire body go rigid, eyes snapping open and mouth becoming slightly agape, words failing him utterly. His head slowly turned to see the scheming expression on Allen's face. Timcanpy flew in circles around his head, but Kanda didn't even notice. "Wh… What the HELL did you just call me?!"**

**The expression grew more evil. "You heard me, Princess Yuu-Chan. I will call you that for the rest of your life until you tell me what is going. And if I keep at it, the entire Black Order will start to think we're a gay couple and spread rumours about how **_**Kanda Yuu **_**is gay. Oh! And once Lavi finds out, he'll record that down into the official documents of this war. It is his job, after all. And you will be forever known like that. Won't that be nice, Princess Yuu-chan?"**

"**I will kill you before that even happens!"**

"**Oh-hoh? But what if Timcanpy here-- who has been recording everything here, by the way -- decided to go off and show our conversation to Komui and the rest of the science department? It would spread like a wild fire, wouldn't you agree? And since they would be so convinced, they would not believe in any accusation otherwise. If you kill me, then your name would never be clean, now would it, Princess Yuu-chan?"**

**There was a stand-still between the two. Kanda swallowed hard. **_**'Kill him and still get embarrassed, tell him what's going on or let him continue calling me that… Kill him and still get embarrassed, tell him what's going on or let him continue calling me that… Kill him and still get embarrassed, tell him what's going on or let him continue calling me that…' **_**The frown grew with each passing thought as Allen felt the victory cloud raining down on him. He got him. He got him **_**good**_**. It was probably the best thing he had ever used against Kanda. **

"**All right then…" Kanda hesitated, as if he were searching for an idea. "Moyashi-hime."**

**Or maybe not. Allen stared at him, bewildered and in shock. There was a slight smirk on Kanda's face-- One that read of victory. If you wanted to fight against fire, you fought with an even stronger fire. The British exorcist had nothing to say to that and had to let it go before it got even worse. If Lavi came back and heard them calling each other 'princess' in different languages, then there would definitely some explaining to do, and he really did not want to explain this situation. It was awkward as is, and the apprentice Bookman had a tendency to make everything seem worse. He sighed as he stood up and stretched. Kanda returned back to meditating.**

**An hour passed. **

**Lavi had yet to return.**

**Neither one seemed to notice.**

**Allen yawned loudly, arms stretching up over his head as he took a bed for himself. Kanda was unmoving from his position a little bit longer before he finally opened his eyes and looked around the room, partially confused, but seemed to shrug at whatever he was confused about. Allen's head rested upon his pillow as he watched the Japanese exorcist look out the window, the obvious frown growing more and more with each passing second. Something was obviously bothering him, but Allen couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He sat up. "What is it?"**

**Kanda shot him a glance before returning to glance at the window. "…Che. It's nothing."**

**The door slammed open wide, catching both of their attentions. Lavi stood there, beaten and battered as he gave them a grin. "Heya, Yuu-chan, Moyashi." He broke into a coughing fit and sighed heavily, using the wall as his support. They both blinked, thoughts simultaneously going through their heads. **_**'Did Miranda get mad at him and beat him up or did he fall out of the window??'**_

**He gave another sheepish laugh. "Yeah… I know what the two of you are askin' yourselves right now. Mir-Mir-chan is sleeping soundly, I already checked. But there was another Akuma out on the loose and I decided to go and take care of it. Another train was destroyed, too-- No survivors, at least it didn't look like it to me. Now if you excuse me, I am going to pass out because of blood loss."**

**Allen got to him first as he caught the falling redhead. He wasn't too heavy at all, but he still looked horrible. He looked over to Kanda hesitantly who didn't seem to give a damn about what happened now. Allen looked at Lavi, frowning, then picked him up and put him down gently onto his bed. Lavi looked a whole hell of a lot more deserving than he did for one right then, and besides, most of his concussion was already gone by now. Kanda was already getting into bed. Allen frowned.**

'_**I'm sleeping on the floor tonight, after all,' **_**he thought as Timcanpy came from flying rather close to the ceiling back onto Allen's shoulder. He sighed, checking to see if Lavi was going to lose more blood and decided to patch the boy up while Kanda was sleeping. He pulled out the medical kit from his bag and covered most of the bad scrapes and nodded to himself when he was done. Lavi would be better by tomorrow, no doubt about it. He just had to tell himself that, even though the apprentice Bookman looked as if Death had brushed up against his skin. The frown deepened. If Lavi was this bad alone today, then maybe together they could kill all of the Akuma tomorrow. Or do whatever else was planned. Lavi and Miranda seemed to know what they were doing. But since no one talked during dinner, Kanda and himself didn't. **

**Outside, little white clumps of frozen water were starting to float down and cover the area with a cold, white blanket. **

**Allen shivered.**

**Timcanpy flew off of his shoulder then and landed itself right above Lavi's head. It seemed to have no further intention in dealing with Allen. He sighed. Why did it feel like everyone was out against him? He gazed over and looked at the window, seeing that eerie shadow once more. It was growing bigger. He could feel his own personality slip a little more each day, and people were going to start to notice if they already haven't. He tried to gaze beyond the shadow, tried to focus on the snow to make him a little bit happier, but couldn't. Was it really going to consume him? **

**Was he really going to betray his friends and join the Millennium Earl?**

**Or maybe would the 14th**** Noah use his body to kill the Earl for him?**

**Either way, he didn't like it, and every time he thought about it, those same questions came to mind. What he needed right now was a diversion. But by then everyone was asleep-- nobody could help him. Instead, he gave up and laid down on the floor, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He wouldn't betray everyone. He would probably end up killing himself before he allowed that to happen. Or maybe he would let Kanda do it for him. He felt sleep almost overwhelming him, the darkness closing in on him. He wanted a good dream. But he knew he wasn't going to get it.**

**He closed his eyes, opened them, then closed them again wearily and found that he could not open them again. He sighed, rolling over and falling asleep.**

* * *

_**Dark. Dark, dark, dark. **_

'_**There is no such thing as light here.'**_

_**Why was it so dark?**_

'_**There is only black for you. You will fall further from the gray levels of life and into your own court of darkness. No one can save you now. No one wants to save you now. You are your own jester, your own knight, your own king. In this darkness, you rule a kingdom of one.'**_

_**Falling…**_

…_**Falling…**_

……_**falling…**_

'_**No such thing as light? Then how was I in the gray to begin with?'**_

_**Echoes. Echoes of one voice but two minds… They collide and fall apart.**_

'_**Hope.'**_

'_**Is there no longer hope?'**_

'_**There is none.'**_

_**The shadows creep closer. They leap and dance like fire in front of one set of eyes. It was right, there only is one. And forever it will be only**__** one.**_

'_**At least for the likes of you, Walker.' **_

**He sat up with a startled jolt. It felt as if he had been asleep for days, but only about two hours had past. Sweat ran down the side of his face, his left arm clinging to his own shirt, breathing arduous. What in the world was that? He saw his two friends still sound asleep and smiled to himself. Well, at least they were doing fine and still breathing. He stood up and stretched. He was worn out and still too very tired to be awake, but he felt as if sleep would be the death of him. Timcanpy didn't budge as Allen nudged it gently. He frowned. Even Tim was sleeping? But he didn't think that golems slept.**

**Lavi coughed in his sleep and rolled over, muttering something in Latin. Allen was quickly growing bored. He walked over to Kanda, who was also asleep. His closed eyes and serene face made it seem that he was a peaceful personality, one that didn't yell or got angry all of the time. Why couldn't he look like that when he was awake? He frowned more, then sat at the edge of the Japanese exorcist's bed. The street light outside showed the snow was coming down pretty harshly. If it kept it up, it would become rather difficult to even move, let alone kill Akuma. But then again, maybe not, because they had Lavi on their side, and he could control some of the weather with the Wood talisman from his hammer. **

**Kanda seemed to frown in his sleep, then rolled over closer to the edge of the bed and away from Allen. It was as if he wanted to get as far away from him, even in his sleep. He couldn't put it past him. Allen eyes the vacant spot on the opposite side of Kanda. He really didn't want to sleep on the floor, but then again taking opportunity of something like this could result in his death. But he was so tired… He weighed the pros and cons in his head, and when it came out even, he grimaced and knew he had to make the decision for himself. Quickly he laid down on the mattress, sighing evenly. It did feel so much better than the wooden floor he was sleeping on earlier. He would just have to wake up earlier that Kanda so that he would never know. Easy as pie. Although Kanda did have a tendency for waking up as early as five o'clock in the morning sometimes…**

'_**Then so be it that I die. I'm not**__ sleeping on the floor.'_

He grabbed a portion of the blankets and covered himself up. He didn't even realize until now that his teeth were chattering and his hands shaking. Was he really that cold? He knew the room itself wasn't cold. It actually felt warm. Did the dream shake him up so badly? He sighed and closed his eyes. He immediately fell asleep from his tiredness. And in his subconscious, right before he fell asleep, a thought echoed:

'_Kanda's gonna kill me.'_

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Argh, damn it! Short chapter is short! Only seven pages! Argh! But, anyways, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And, wow, so many reviews and so many alerts and favourites! I am so happy about that! Thank you all, yatta! I shall see you all again in Chapter 6! --K.S.


	6. Mirror to the Past

**I'll tell you all something, it was **_**not**_** easy to get through this chapter. I deleted it numerous amounts of times because I was torn between I wanted to do. But even so! This is the version I decided to stick with, and I'm half-way pleased. So! Let us all make me shut up as you all read chapter 6 of 'Niveous Sky'! **

**Disclaimer: -Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.**

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**6. Mirror to the Past and Shock to the Present**

**There it was again. Same damn dream for a grand total of five days. It was that damned mission again. He frowned. He'd just have to let it play out, unfortunately, because he couldn't seem to force himself awake…**

_**They were in the other town, the sky being the colour of light blue. It was as pretty as a picture. The buildings were nice, they seemed to have belonged to aristocrats. Everyone had very fancy clothes as they walked casually down the street. In reality, they stood out because of the way they weren't exactly fancy. Lavi jumped ahead of the group, twirling around like the idiot that he was.**_

"_**Ah, c'mon, Yuu-chan!" he complained, spinning around again. "You need to lighten up! It's pretty cool that we finally get to see Sweden! And besides, we have yet to see anything bad happen, so you should at least not look so angry!"**_

"_**Che." He couldn't help but have that feeling that something bad was going to happen pretty soon. His gut was telling that, as was his head. His fingers squeezed around Mugen's hilt unconsciously, his eyes quickly scanning from place to place. Yes, they did have the stupid bean-sprout with them, but he still couldn't help but feel uneasy and one edge. "Shut it, you stupid rabbit."**_

"_**Don't listen to him, Lavi," Allen stepped into the conversation. "Your hyper-active nature makes this kind of thing more fun."**_

"_**At least SOMEBODY gets me," the redhead grinned, then blinked, frowning. "Ah… Allen-chan, you're eye…"**_

_**Allen grimaced, feeling his eye activate. The Akuma was near by. Kanda pulled Mugen out, angry, as Bookman activated Heaven's Compass. The group stuck together, all of which were in the middle of a walking group of people. Allen looked around desperately, hoping to find the Akuma before it was too late. He should have been able to, but for whatever reason, in such a crowd, he could not find it. He kept looking around, grimacing. Kanda frowned. **_

"_**Hurry up and find it, Moyashi, before somebody gets hurt--!"**_

_**A blood-curdling scream shut him up as they all turned to see a young woman in her mid-twenties trying to wake a little boy up. He wasn't moving as he suddenly turned into dust. Her eyes widened as she took several steps back. The crowd all stared at the pile, their eyes wide and most with their hands up to their mouths, before one, two… mostly everyone made a run for it, screaming and yelling that the Devil had come to take their souls. More ran as Allen tried to focus. With everyone moving, he could not see a thing. Everything was such a blur. Then there was another scream, one in the opposite direction of where he was looking, and watched to his horror as a little girl was in the grasp of an Akuma. It had unusually long arms with a crane-looking beak. It arms snapped the little girl's spinal cord in two and tossed her aside as beams of peculiar colours shot out from it, hitting most of the civilians. The virus of the Akuma spread too quickly for the team of exorcists to comprehend as they all turned to dust. **_

"_**Che. Found you," Kanda said, the sound of annoyance in his voice. "Twin-Blade Illusion!"**_

_**Mugen turned into two different swords as Allen activated his left arm. The four of them charged at it as it merely laughed. Kanda glared at it. That thing had the fucking nerve to laugh at him? **_

"_**Kanda--! Look out--!" Allen yelled as one tried to come from behind to kill him. Kanda just rolled his eyes as he did a backwards flip and cut it in two at the same time. Lavi finished the job by toasting it to a crisp. Kanda glared at him.**_

"_**Moyashi… You only get in the way. Che."**_

"_**But I--! Look out, Yuu!" Allen cried, making his arm into Crown Clown and throwing the sword at the oncoming Akuma. It pierced him through and killed it. Kanda did a double-take of the situation. Did that bean-sprout…?**_

_**He stopped mid-thought, turning, eyes wide. "What did you just call me?!"**_

"_**Hunh? I called you Kanda."**_

"_**No you fucking didn't. You called me--" **_

_**Another explosion. Then another. The entire town was flattened, the townspeople, trampled. Everything that pertained within the town was gone, except for a few standing buildings and the few survivors who were fleeing for their lives. Kanda split yet another Akuma in two, then another, and another. He had to try to allow as many people to flee as possible. He grimaced. This wasn't even the main part of town, it was the outskirts, which annoyed him a little. Allen blinked and yelled something before Bookman was hit dead-on by the strange level two. Lavi's eyes widened.**_

"_**Gramps!"**_

_**The older man didn't respond. Lavi began to twitch angrily as he foolishly charged towards the Akuma and was knocked back with the air knocked out of him as a result. Kanda frowned. That apprentice Bookman was far more incompetent than the bean sprout. He turned left sharply, realizing that the level two had left its flank exposed. **_

'_**Clear shot…!' he thought as he launched himself towards it, but Allen got in the way, shouting, "Wait, Yuu!"**_

"_**STOP CALLING ME--!!"**_

_**Allen was hit across the back of the head as the level two laughed and started to run away towards the main part of the town. He grimace. He had a clear view of it! He could have killed it! He knew he could have if that stupid bean sprout hadn't got in the way and God only knew he could have killed it! And now… And now…! Kanda's glare could not have been more deadlier. That bastard called him Yuu not only once, but TWICE, and one of those times he got in the way! He turned to him as Allen sat up. Something was yelling in his head that it was his fault. Everyone within the vicinity was going to die and it was his fault because he let Allen get in his way. **_

_**All.**_

_**His.**_

_**Fault.**_

_**And the only way to solve this was by one solution. By blaming someone else. It was all he could think of in that short span of time. He glared at Allen, anger evident to a blind man.**_

"…**The hell… Moyashi…" he muttered, then his eyes snapped open, staring into the room where Lavi was sleeping on the other bed. He rolled onto his back, throwing an arm over his eyes. Allen was missing. Go figure. He grunted. He felt as if he only slept five minutes, and it was probably the case. His head hurt like hell. Why the fuck was he still blaming himself? The moment that moron called him by Yuu, the moment he denied it, was the moment he screwed up. He should have focused more and shoved Allen out of the way and cut that Akuma into several pieces. But because he was so taken aback by him calling him by his name… But the worst part of it all was that he was starting to call Allen by his actual name as a result, and that stupid idiot couldn't remember the mission clearly enough to even notice that he did the same thing to him.**

'_**Calling me Yuu… Che. That moron.'**_

**But why did he call him that? And why call him Allen? Ever since that mission… Everything was wrong with that mission, everything! He grinded his teeth together, frown deepening as a sudden shift from behind him caused him to focus his attention elsewhere. Allen mumbled something and clung to Kanda.**

"**What the--?" Kanda did a double-take, feeling the sudden warmth that was attaching itself onto him. "What the--?!? Oi!" He knew he had to keep his voice down-- The Baka Usagi was sick and he needed to be okay by tomorrow in order to do this mission properly. If he woke him up, God only knew that the idiot wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. But in this situation, did he really care? Allen snuggled closer to him, resting his head up against the older man's shoulder, then slowly moved to his chest. Kanda immediately felt the rage meter shoot from zero to over nine thousand. "Che! Moyashi, get the**_** fuck **_**off of me!" He tried to shove the boy off of him, but that only resulted in Allen squeezing him tighter. It shot up to over ten thousand. **

"**Get… **_**OFF!" **_He took every ounce of power that he could muster and threw Allen across the room and into the wall. The boy didn't wake up as he slid down the wall and slumped over, mumbling words that Kanda could barely hear.

"Nn… Ba… Kanda…" he rolled over, sighing. "…pretty… hair… Hnnn…."

Kanda sighed. This idiot was thinking of Lenalee and him at the same time. He heard him say stuff like this before when he was sleeping, it wasn't that uncommon. He grimaced, looking over to Lavi whose only reaction was to the entire situation was twitching once. He sighed. No one was awake but him, so he was successful at not waking the Baka Usagi up… He laid back down when he heard a long sigh.

"…Yuu… can… play with it…? I… acting….strangely…" Kanda refused to listen anymore. The collision was playing with Allen's mind while he was sleeping, that's all it was. "…'cause… I lo…. Mmm…. Yuu…"

'_Che.' _He misinterpreted his name, 'Yuu', for the word 'You'. _'If that moron keeps dreaming about Lenalee I'm going to run him through with Mugen… Not that I already am as soon as I get more sleep, but he won't know that until tomorrow morning. I like to see it when my victims are begging for mercy just as I am about to kill them.' _A sadistic laugh managed to come out of his mouth, which one could argue was because of the sleep deprivation. _'And he's not going to be any exception aside from me keeping him alive longer. Him sleeping in my bed… He's a dead man as soon as I wake… up…' _

His thoughts no longer functioned as it seemed to short circuit into a world of dreamless sleep, which was for the better. Him dreaming was a bad sign, anyways.

* * *

A raven woke him up, the call beckoning Death and telling it to come and get the exorcists who were lying in the wait to die. He groaned. Wasn't that just a lovely thought for the first thing in the morning? He sat up, rubbing his hand up against the back of his head and stretched. He slept great! He no longer felt as ill as he was, though there still was a headache left. He yawned and smiled to himself before looking over to Kanda and Allen. Allen was on the floor near where a hole was in the wall. Kanda was still and barely moving except for breathing. Lavi blinked, then looked at the grandfather clock that was sitting in the corner. It read 7:55.

"Hey, Yuu-chan, Allen-chan," Lavi grinned, walking over to Kanda and leaned over to breathe in his ear, then yelled, "WAKE UP~~~!!"

Miranda, who was enjoying a nice cup of tea within her own room and enjoying the sun rise over the white sheet of snow, nearly dropped her cup when there was several loud bangs and several curse words in Japanese that she could barely understand. She stumbled back towards the window in reaction, about to jump out of it before she quickly calmed herself down and ran out the door and into the room beside her. Allen was blinking, looking utterly confused as Lavi and Kanda were in a chokehold, Mugen up against Lavi's hammer.

"I will kill you, Usagi!"

"J-Jeez, Yuu-chan, calm down!"

"Ichigen!"

"EEP!"

Miranda activated her Innocence and stopped the blow before it even happened and sighed in relief. Kanda glared at her as Lavi looked at her in relief. "W-We shouldn't be fighting… It's only eight in the morning and… uh… Allen…?" She stared at the boy who seemed to look a bit different, his eyes staring off into the distance strangely. "…Allen? Are you o-okay? D-Did you come down with the same thing that Lavi had…?" She walked over towards him, unblinking, as the two exorcists behind her broke from their scuffle and watched her bend over and snap her fingers in front of his face. He reacted violently and pushed her away. She fell over, confused, as he gasped and returned to looking back to normal.

"M-Miranda-san! I'm so sorry!" he bowed quickly and offered her a hand up. She gratefully accepted it. "I-I didn't mean to do that… Oh… I'm so sorry… I feel rather lame right now…"

"Don't be," she smiled at him hesitantly. "Though… You looked kind of strange… Are you feeling all right?"

He nodded, though there was a slight lie to what he was trying to convey. His eyes shifted to the window and they widened. The shadow was nearly engulfing his reflection. Why? Why was he dealing with this?! He felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his cheek as he stood up a little straighter. "I feel fine. Sorry for worrying you, Miranda-san."

Kanda and Lavi looked at one another, expressions reading that they didn't buy it. The world shifted to Lavi's eyes. He blinked, then rubbed them. He thought his sickness was all good! Well, it didn't matter-- He had to work and couldn't let anything get in his way, because then Miranda would be left all alone and that would be bad. He deactivated his Innocence and smiled widely. "Okay, gang! We need to go meet up with that Hagar man that Seymour-- oh, he's a bartender in the bar a block away --was talking about and get more information of what we are dealing with! Then we can go to the old inn that was named this place and figure out what was going on with that, while all the while killing any Akuma that come this way! How does that sound?"

"Not so good, with your annoying bunny-voice," Kanda said, putting Mugen back into its sheath.

"Hey!"

Kanda frowned. He felt as if he forgot to do something, but he couldn't remember what it was. He glanced over to Allen, who also seemed to be confused. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had a feeling it dealt something with that bean sprout. He ignored it. Right now, he needed to eat breakfast and then go out and kill some Akuma. Besides, he had a score to settle.

There was a scream outside. Allen immediately ran towards the window and opened it, ignoring the cold that came to greet him. A woman was pointing towards a body that laid still in front of the old 'The Lost Scarecrow'. Allen's eye activated as it suddenly turned to dust. His eyes widened. Another person was claimed by the strange phenomenon going on within that building, and it was consuming people more and more with each passing day. They needed to do something. His eye suddenly de-activated as soon as the doors to the building suddenly and mysteriously shut closed. People rushed towards the person as Allen tried to turn towards the group of exorcists who suddenly pinned him down into the window sill to see what was going on.

"Oh, crap, another person is dead," Lavi said, shaking his head.

"Hey! Can you guys get off of me?!"

"O-Oh dear… We should probably get on it to see that Hagar man as soon as we possibly can…"

"Oi! Are you guys deaf?!"

"Che. Whoever the hell walked in there was curious and died because of that. In my opinion, whoever it was deserved it for their stupidity."

"_Hello?! _Guys?! You're crushing me!!"

"That's not very nice, Yuu-chan."

"Nice or not, it's the truth."

Allen was fed up as he pushed the pile, and, in turn, a domino effect happened as the group fell on top of one another. At the bottom was Miranda, then Lavi, then Kanda and on the top, Allen, who was happy that he could breathe properly again. Kanda glared at him angrily. "Get the hell off of me, Allen!"

He blinked. "You called me by my name again."

"What difference does it make?! Get off!"

Allen sighed and got off of the top of the pile as Kanda stood up next. Miranda's eyes were wide, as were Lavi's, as the two stared at one another for a long moment. Allen and Kanda looked at them, confused. Lavi hopped up, unblinking and bowed and apologized as Miranda told him not to. That caused them to be more confused when the two immediately turned backs on one another, Miranda blushing and Lavi not seeming to think straightly. Kanda frowned. What the hell. This mission was becoming more and more strange with each passing second! He headed towards the door and opened it.

"Where are you going?" Allen asked.

"Breakfast," he answered steadily, "and to get away from you people. Che."

He slammed the door behind him afterwards, leaving a very strange awkward feeling over the room that no one that was within it knew how to deal with it.

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Another bad ending! And another really short chapter! Damn it! So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And, wow, thank you so much for the reviews! It's over twenty and that was only for chapter 5! Thank you so much! I love all of you! See you in seven! --K.S.


	7. The Man in White

_FAR too long! My apologies! I have a tendency to get wrapped up in other things. Oh, yeah, and for those who didn't know, the latest chapter came out and-- OMG it was EPIC! I think Kanda actually had a friend! (O_O) Well, without further ado, let us begin forthwith with Chapter 7 of 'Niveous Sky'! (This may turn out to be longer than 10 chapters. Whoops. XD)_

_Disclaimer: -Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better have._

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_7. The Man in White_

_It was drawing close to nine-thirty as the group paraded towards the man named Hagar's house. Lavi was in front, followed by Allen, Miranda and Kanda. The redhead was practically skipping through the snow, occasionally stopping and making a snowball or helping a kid who was making a snowman (which was only once, due to the absence of any sign of life within the town) by getting the huge ball momentum. Kanda was not pleased by this behaviour and pretended that he did not know him. Once in a while Allen threw a snowball back. The only main thing Miranda did was slip on a patch of ice that nearly caused to give her a concussion. It was quiet for them, surprisingly, and with the added silence of the 'ghost-town', it was nerve-wracking. They headed up north as the trees on the path leading to the man's house all were white pines, the snow occasionally being too heavy for the branches and causing them to fall to the ground. _

"_Hey…" Lavi motioned towards the road that they were walking on, eyes scrutinizing every detail he came across. "Haven't you guys noticed that everything on this path here is symmetrical? Even the rocks…"_

_The group looked around as it turned out that Lavi was right-- Everything was indeed in perfect symmetry. There was not a detail overlooked, not a rock unturned. The branches of the trees, even-- They seemed to have been recently trimmed to match one another. It scared most of them except for Kanda, who really didn't give a damn, as they proceeded onwards. The snow started to become less of a problem as it lessened in depth. Within ten feet in front of the house there was no snow, only red bricks that were in perfect maintenance and colour. The building that loomed before them was old. Everything seemed as if it were replaced once or twice, maybe even three times, but aside from that it was highly ornate and well-decorated. Allen hesitated, then reached out and knocked onto the door. When there was no response, he looked over his shoulder to the rest of the group, shrugged, then turned the door knob and allowed himself and the others in. It was even worse inside. There were two staircases, both covered with red carpeting, two statues in the corner of the main hall, plants on two tables with a copy of one another on the opposite side of the room, and even two copies of the same painting._

"_Is it just me or does this person like symmetry?" Allen asked before reaching out to touch one of the plants that caught his eye._

"_DON'T TOUCH!"_

He flinched, as did the rest of them, as a voice of a partially older man boomed down the stairs and echoed throughout the building. They all gazed up to see him. His hair was a dull grey, his face rugged and worn with age. His hands rested upon the railing that ran across the hallway to join the two sets of stairs together, which had the longest and most repulsive fingernails that Allen had ever seen. His clothes were pure white, down to the shoes and the tie. "Those who enter my home generally never come out, strangers, 'less they have a good reason for barging in and badgering me without my permission. So, tell me then, why have you come to pass the idea that it would be good of you to enter my domain?"

"Th-This guy scares me," Lavi whispered. Allen gave a slight nod in agreement before coughing and clearing his throat.

"We don't mean to bother you, really," he smiled sheepishly as he pointed to the silver cross on his left shoulder. "We are from the Black Order. We're known as Exorcists, and we want to solve the mystery shrouding the inn known as 'The Lost Scarecrow'. We were hoping maybe, if you knew anything, that you could tell us things about that place so that no one else gets hurt and--"

"Get out."

"What?" Allen became immediately confused at the man's sudden anger. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver, pointing it at them.

"I said to get out. Exorcists… Ever since that man, called himself 'General Cross', from this same 'Black Order' that you spoke of, came to my house and took my money and never paid me back, I have never forgiven him. Because of him, I had to sell so much possessions that used to belong to my mother, and now I will not even help the likes of you. Get out."

Allen felt a sense of sheer panic wash over him, along with a bit of annoyance. "Listen, I can pay back that debt later! But right now, your town is writhing in fear and people are refusing to come out and we really just need your help to--"

Kanda twitched lightly to the slightest movement of the man's finger. He pulled out Mugen and got in the way before the shot went off, cutting the bullet in two as he glared dangerously at the man. Allen's eyes grew wide, along with Lavi's and Miranda's. "Che. We get the point. We're leaving." He grabbed Allen by the wrist before the British exorcist could protest and led the way out of the building and back out into the snow-covered world. Lavi closed the door behind them and pouted. 

"That guy was a total jerk! I couldn't believe he just tried to shoot us 'cause of a debt that wasn't even our doing! How did you ever survive when you were younger, Allen-chan, when all the people Cross was in debt to came after you for the money?"

"…In all honesty, Lavi, it's still a mystery that even I haven't figured out," he replied, sighing. "But that's not the problem right now…" He gazed towards the main part of town, frowning. "I'm pretty sure that man has something on 'The Lost Scarecrow'. Maybe even in writing… We need to get in there and find historical records of that place, but the question is how?"

"W-We could break in once he leaves."

All eyes were on Miranda, them partially widening. She blinked. Was it something she said? Was it something bad? She entered into a panic and tried to calm herself down while explaining. "W-Well! H-He won't let us in anyways, and I thought, oh, maybe when he leaves to go in town and is far enough away from his house we could seize the opportunity to, uh, well, get information… I knew it was a bad idea! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She started to sprint off, about to apologize to the whole world, when she slipped on another patch of ice, stopping her rampage. The rest of the group caught up to her as she stood up, brushing the snow off of her uniform. "S-Sorry."

"Nah, it's all good," Lavi shrugged. "So… Where do you suggest we hide until that guy leaves? S'not like we can just stay out here in plain sight to wait for him."

Allen suddenly grinned widely. "I know what to do."

'_Huh?' _was the rest of everyone else's thoughts.

* * *

"Allen… What. The. Fuck."

"You called me Allen again, but I'm letting it slide," he said, wiping away a bit of sweat that broke out. He was standing beside two trees with a snow fort made out of the snow banks in between them. "So long as we keep our heads down, he will never suspect a thing. I myself thought it was a pretty ingenious. We'll use the environment to our advantage! Now all we do is wait."

They all crouched down, ducking their heads slightly while waiting. Allen's ears were peeled to hear the slightest noise to come from that house. Kanda was frowning at the entire idea as Lavi was humming lowly to himself. Miranda was staring vacantly out into space with thoughts going through her head. It was so confusing how Kanda was calling Allen by his actual name instead of Mobashi or whatever it was he called him. It was like he was trying to get Allen's attention… She shook her head. No, that couldn't have been it… Or maybe he was trying to get back at Allen for something? Or maybe even using reverse psychology… All she knew was that Kanda was acting strangely and she wanted to know why. She wasn't generally the nosey kind of person, but this was something she could not just simply ignore…

"Ssh!" Allen hushed Lavi by covering his mouth. There was a faint sound of keys rattling, then the sound of footsteps accompanied by whistling sounds. Allen frowned. Why did it seem that the tune sounded so familiar? The footsteps drew closer as he reached where the fort was then paused. They all tensed. Had they been found? Were they too obvious? It seemed too long of a moment of tension as the whistling picked back up and the man walked away. Allen waited until he could no longer hear the faint crunching of snow to look up. The man was long gone. He looked back at the rest of the group. "We're all clear to go."

"Che. Thanks for stating the obvious." Kanda took the lead as he approached the door and stared at the lock for a long moment. He slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out a small, metal wire. He put it in the key hole and, ten seconds later, there was the sound of a click and he opened the door. They all entered once again into the now-empty house. The rooms were darkened. The lights were turned off. 

"Me and Mir-Mir-chan will stay on the ground floor and look for clues," Lavi said, closing the door behind him quietly. "You and Yuu-chan, go upstairs and if you find anything bring it with you. We have to be quick about it."

"Don't call me Yuu-chan," Kanda said, frowning. "And why the fuck am I stuck with Allen? Can't I have Miranda and you take him?"

Allen, at that moment, felt like a bargaining item. Nobody loved him… Everybody hated him… He was gonna eat some worms as soon as this mission was over. Lavi shook his head which caused Kanda to start bickering with him. Miranda sweat-dropped. "G-Guys? We don't have much time…"

Lavi nodded as he took Miranda and waved at the scowling pair. "See you all later! And be quick about getting information!"

The two made a quick exit, leaving Allen and Kanda alone. The two looked at one another, frowning, as they made their way onto the second floor. The hallways were eerily and abnormally dark. Allen looked around more and observed something else-- There were no windows anywhere. It felt like a prison, or maybe even a small closet. His hands felt across the walls of the hallway as it grew darker. "Kanda… Why do you think this guy lives purely in the dark?"

"Che. Like I would know."

Allen said nothing, just pausing and staring into the dark corridor. "I wonder if there is anything at the end of this hallway…"

"If there wasn't then what would be the po--"

Silence. Kanda never finished his sentence. Allen blinked, turning, and he was not to be seen anywhere. "…Kanda?" Nothing. "…K-Kanda? Are you there?" Still nothing. He hesitated, turning around and spinning around and there was no sign of him anywhere. The only thing that greeted him was darkness.

And the next thing he knew was that he was falling.

* * *

"Ah-ah? This place sure is weird!" Lavi examined a painting closely, then sighed, putting his hands behind his head and smiling foolishly at Miranda, who was searching through bookcases to see if there was anything. "Try the upper left corner-- there are marked dates on those. Could be records. Bring them with us, okay?"

She nodded, pulling the folders out and putting onto the wood table in the corner. Lavi looked around the room, poking plants and lifting up boxes until he found something strange. An order form? He picked it up, then looked through it quickly. The last signature belonged to the Millennium Earl. He blinked, rubbed his eye, then blinked again. There was no doubt about it-- The signature was that of the Millennium Earl's. But why would a man like that have this, especially since he was the protector of the town? Or was that just a cover-up? "Mir-Mir-chan! T-That Hagar guy really belongs to--!"

One shot. Two. Miranda turned, eyes wide, as Lavi hit the ground heavily. A third. Fourth. Fifth. She stared blankly, her eyes focusing that on a man dressed in white and wrinkled with age, before her body gave out on her and fell forward. It smelled of smoke… and something else, something vile. Something… rotting. She gasped heavily like a fish out of water, chest hurting and side bleeding. Lavi wasn't moving, not even a twitch, as the man approached him with the gun to his forehead. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to not enter stranger's houses? You could get killed."

A bang.

Silence.

* * *

"…Nngh…"

Stars. More stars. And darkness. He twitched lightly, eyebrows furrowing close together, before opening them and sitting up. The back of his head throbbed with agony and objection to whatever had just happened. His eyes looked around, confused and unknowing of where he was. He rose to his feet, feeling his way around the darkness. Even the colour black should have its limits to how dark it should have been. It was silent, the only thing making any noise was his own footsteps. He looked around anxiously. "Kanda? Are you here?" When nothing replied, he walked further into the darkness and tripped on top of the Japanese exorcist. Allen sighed in relief as Kanda groaned, pushing the boy off of him.

"The hell… Allen…" He sat up, hand supporting his head. "What… happened…?"

Allen said nothing as he pressed a hand up against the man's chest, feeling his own temperature rise. What was this? He frowned. Whenever he was around Kanda, he had begun to feel funny, even more so when he started to call him by his real name. "Ssh. We might be able to hear something if we stay quiet."

Kanda would have protested, but his head hurt too much to do so as Allen scanned around the dark. It was impossible. There was nothing to see and nothing to hear except their own breathing. Somewhere in the distance a shot went off. Then another. Allen blinked, looking around. Five shots. Was that man back home already? Then what of Lavi and Miranda? His eyes widened. No, no, they weren't shot, were they? If they were, it would have been all of his fault. Kanda stiffened slightly as the shots were heard. If the man was home, then no doubt was this one of his little traps. They were going to be next if they weren't careful… He got up as well as Allen as he began to walk again. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be. He reached a wall then slid his hand against it as he kept on walking. Allen trailed on behind him, occasionally reaching out and touching Kanda's coat to make sure that he was still there. In short, he was slightly afraid, maybe even more than he should have been. Kanda frowned and stopped. Allen looked at him, confused, after he ran into him. "Che. We're not alone."

Allen turned and felt something nab his feet, entangling them. His eyes widened as he activated his Innocence into Crown Clown, then stabbed down at it. It had no effect as it lurched more at him, the strange vine-like things wrapping him up and tightening around his neck. He struggled the best he could as Kanda tried to make out what was happening. The sound of Allen choking got him motivated as he pulled out Mugen. "…Activate! Ichigen!" The bug-souls hit the vines and did nothing as well except giving more light to see. They were also black… Were they shadows? Allen's strength was waning as his right foot twitched, the only hand he had left unable to force the shadows away from his neck because it, too, was entangled. 

"K…an…da…" he managed to make out before he was slammed up against the wall. The Japanese exorcist took Mugen and tried hacking through them, but that's all they were, just shadows. Allen was going to die. 

_Shit._

This was bad. This was really fucking bad. He ran up and grabbed the shadow and tore it away from Allen's neck, allowing the boy to breathe heavily for air. The shadow reeled, angered, and shoved the desperately-fighting exorcist into Allen. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as their lips connected. 

'_He's… kissing me!' _Allen's thoughts wanted to rejoice, and he didn't know why. _'He's really kissing me! What is going on with this? I was being strangled by a shadow one minute, and then the next minute I… Kanda… I… like this… Why is that? Am I… in love with Kanda?'_

'_What in the fuck?!' _Kanda's thoughts screamed. _'No! None of that!' _He forced himself away from Allen, glaring dangerously at the thing that had shoved him. That thing had just made him kiss the one person he despised more than anyone. That thing had made him do something that if the Baka Usagi saw it that he would never hear the end of it. Out of all people, the first person he had to kiss was _Allen Walker_. That severely pissed him off as he went into a fit of rage, grabbing the shadow and ramming his fist up against the stone wall, exposing it to light. Allen blinked, as did Kanda as the shadow shriveled into nothing. Snow had greeted them as the two walked out of what looked to have been a blocked-off cave. They were back in the town. The two looked at each other, then looked away from one another, Allen blushing and Kanda frowning heavily.

'_Oh no… I think I AM in love with him,' _the British exorcist felt a sheer wave of panic hit him. _'But… why? And when? Just because of a kiss? Oh… But I…' _He snuck a glance at Kanda and looked away quickly. _'He'd kill me if he found out…'_

'_Che. I kissed a moron.' _Kanda glanced around the area, looking and trying to establish where in the hell they were. _'That fucking shadow better burn in hell. I hope it does or else I will send it there once I find it! I refuse to allow this to happen ever again…'_

There was a heavy silence between the two, neither of which wanting to break it as Kanda went on ahead and headed back towards the house where they had left their two fellow exorcists in the hands of the man in white. Allen followed behind him, not knowing what to expect now. What of Lavi and Miranda? There was nothing but silence in the house, not a single yell to be heard from outside the front door. It was too quiet-- Was that man waiting on them to try to save them? Or maybe they were already too late… But the main question was, aside from those other ones, was that how was Hagar connected to 'The Lost Scarecrow'? It was obvious there was some kind of connection-- He just couldn't figure it out. They hesitated, looking at one another before opening the strangely heavy door. It was pure black. The house had completely changed during the time they had fell down into the trap that was planted. 

"What the fuck?" Kanda reached out with his hand into the darkness and it felt milky, like the shadows earlier only more so. It reacted strangely as it lurched out and tried to suck Kanda into the house against his will. Allen's eyes widened.

"Kanda!" He grabbed his hand in desperation, trying to pull him out but failed as he was sucked in. Allen was lost and distraught for what he should have been doing. Kanda was sucked in-- Now what? If he tried to do the same thing, would he be 'eaten up', too? Or was he just going to allow them to be forever lost within the strange milkiness of the shadows? He felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. What was this feeling? Why was he scared? He shook his head and got his thoughts together. No, he was not going to run away, not after everything they have been through. He touched the shadows and walked in, leaving the door open behind him.

'_There is no hope anymore. At least for the likes of you, Walker.'_

He twitched. Something… was taking him over. As the shadows sucked him in, his consciousness fell apart and the thing he didn't want to happen did. The 14th had arrived.

* * *

Woo-hoo! Chapter 7, done! So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And I assure you the next chapter will be out a whole hell of a lot faster. (This chapter was still kind of short-- I'm sorry. XD;) Hopefully I'll see you all again in chapter eight! Better run fast, or I'll be late! Ciao! --K.S.


	8. Time Roulette Go!

I know last chapter was confusing. I took a look at it today, re-reading it, and I asked myself, "What in the hell did I type?!". To tell you the truth, I was sleep-deprived for three days because of an English project and was working on this. Sorry for the confusion. Also! I've noticed that the format often changes on me. If it's in bold, tell me, because that is NOT how I typed it. Anyways, let us commence forthwith with Chapter _8 _of 'Niveous Sky'! (Inspiration Credit: Eiffel 65-- Move Your Body)

**Warning: **The following chapter may be confusing (it's supposed to be). Blame the rap music. Or whatever.

Disclaimer: -Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

8. Time Roulette _Go!_

It was all a blur to her eyes. What happened? What was going on? So dark… Was she dead? No, she felt pain, she was still alive. Her hands twitched as they reached for her Innocence, activating it and displacing the injuries temporarily. She sat up weakly, looking around the darkness. Where…? She felt herself shrinking, clutching her Innocence tightly in her hands, unusually scared. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "G-Guys? Lavi? Allen? K-Kanda?" She remembered the shots. Lavi… He was shot several times, but she could have sworn the redhead moved before the final shot was delivered. Or was that just an illusion to protect her from the truth? How would his grandfather react if he was dead that she was there to witness it all and couldn't do a damn thing to save him?

Something was moving in on her. The shadows surrounded everything, but her clock gave off enough light for her to see it wasn't the shadows. They just loomed there, milky and shifting--as if it were breathing--but it wasn't moving towards her. It was someone's footsteps. Her eyes widened as she forced herself to stand up, looking around. "H-Hello? G-G-Guys?" The walking stopped, paused, then headed in her direction. She felt as if she had just made a mistake. She started shrinking back more, taking several steps in the opposite direction before fear froze her solid. The figure approached her, emerging from the shadows. She blinked once, then sighed in relief. "Oh, Allen! Thank God it was you, I was scared half to death that you might have been that Hagar man!" She blinked once, staring at him. There was a creepy grin on the boy's face. Was it Allen? Or was it someone else? She remembered then Komui's words:

'_Allen is going to become the 14__th__ Noah. Well, might. But if he does, restrain him as much as possible. If you think you are in any immediate danger, run away as far as you can.'_

"The… 14th…" she stuttered out, her instinct kicking in as she began walking backwards more so. "A-Allen! C-Can you hear me?! It's me, Miranda! You've got to fight him! You've just got to! Allen!"

The boy paused, frowning, then shoved her out of the way. "You are not the one I want to fight, girl. Now stay the fuck out of this." He walked a little further and was gone. Miranda sat still, shoulders trembling like crazy. Allen never really swore towards anyone ever. Ever. She looked back to where Allen had walked to, stood up shakily, and started running blindly after him. There was something she had to do. If he was trying to target either Lavi or Kanda (if either of them were still alive), she would stop him in his tracks and try to get him to normal.

'_B-But how? All I can do is stop impending attacks and heal injuries for a period of time! I can't… I'm nothing special like Lavi, Lenalee, or even Kanda. So why am I even trying? I can't… do anything._' She slowed to walk and then came to a stop. _'I'm nothing in this mission, or any missions. I'm pathetic. So what can I do?' _She clutched her clock as she felt herself tear up. _'Why do I suck so much?' _

Something rang loudly then. She froze solid, then looked around from where it was coming from. She then realized it was coming from her own hands. Her clock? She stared at it as two eyes returned her stare. She blinked. It blinked.

"W-_WAAAAAHHH! _M-M-My clock is _alive!" _she yelled, completely thrown for the loop. "T-This can't be happening! How is that possible? Did I hit my head when Allen shoved me out of the way or what?!"

The clock frowned. "Girl-o, that's not very nice of ya. I'm here to help ya. A'ight?" It jumped out from her hands and looked up at her, a partial grin on it's face. She must have seriously hit her head. "Girl-o, you are stronger than you think, a'ight? All ya hafta do is ta believe in yaself, a'ight?" It did a little spin-dance move before smiling widely at her. For a split-second it reminded her of Lavi. "Trust me on this one, a'ight? Ya have so much potential. So stop dissin' yaself, a'ight?"

"I-I do?"

The clock rolled it's eyes at her. "Naaaaah, I'm lying at ya. Of course I'm telling the truth, a'ight!? What reason would I have ta lie ta ya? Ya're my masta, a'ight? If I lose ya I would be upset atcha, a'ight? Now let's get-a'-goin' ta follow that Allen guy, a'ight?"

She blinked once, rubbed at her eyes, then picked up the clock and smiled down on it. "Thank you… for telling me that." She picked up her pace into a run as she ran in the milky darkness to try to save one of her best friends. The clock looked at her as she stopped, looking around, then sighed. "Who am I kidding? Who knows how long this darkness goes? I won't ever be able to find him…"

"I can help with that."

She held up the clock, looking at it with a puzzled look. "C-Can you?"

It clicked it's feet together. "Yeah, but I'm gonna need some help from ya, a'ight? Ya're my owna, afta all, so it should be a piece-a'-cake for ya, a'ight? All ya gotta do is do what ya asked me back in the town ya were livin' in. Remember? The Rewinding Town? Rewind time to the time that ya were seein' Allen, and the best part of all is that ya retain all ya'r memories, though no one else will. Ya can re-write history a little bit, but only ta an extent."

She hesitated. How much could she rewind was the question. It already had been seven minutes. She had to try eight. Could she do that much? She touched one of the clock's arms and twisted it back eight minutes, and she was back at square one again. She looked around, hearing the footsteps coming towards her. The clock grinned at her. "You can do up ta ten minutes, but that's it, a'ight? Congrats."

Miranda smiled at her clock as Allen approached her. She glared at him the best she could and grabbed him by the shoulders. The boy blinked once, confused at what she was doing. He didn't even know her and yet…? Well, he did know her, but he refused to deal with anything that pertained to his host (which he could say was a complete fucking moron, but that was beside the point).

"Allen," her grip tightened on his shoulders as she spoke, "you've got to fight this Noah guy and come back out to join us. I think I know you can hear me! So fight! Fight this person and come back out!"

Oh. _Now_ he understood. She wanted the host to come back out and live his life while he lived in the recesses of his soul, was it? Tough luck for her. He was not coming back out ever, so long as he was healthy. He grabbed one of her arms and tried to break it, but the clock deflected that damage as she held onto him tightly. He could feel his own eyes widen. What kind of power did this girl have? She was actually fighting pretty well against him!

"Allen!" She was yelling now. An act of desperation. "Come back out! You don't have to lose to this person!"

The Fourteenth frowned at her, then tried to toss her aside but couldn't. She had a death grip on him, and it really was starting to hurt as well as getting on his nerves. He sighed, grabbing her wrists. "Listen, woman. You can't do anything. 'Allen' is gone now, and all there is left is me. I've been devouring his soul for the longest time now, there's not a thing you can do about it. So give up the tough-girl act, because it's not working." But it was working, though, and she could see it. It was written all over his face. He was fighting two battles at once and was losing to both of them. He grimaced.

'_Damn… I'm not tough enough yet. Where does he get… all this support? I want to destroy the Earl, but I won't be able to if he keeps on fighting me! Tch.' _He looked at Miranda quickly with hate in his eyes. _'I will get you back for this. I swear it.'_ He collapsed onto her. She caught him easily, blinking and worrying about him.

"A-Allen?"

The British boy rose up, confused. What had just happened? "Miranda?"

Her eyes lit up as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I think I did something important! I'm not a failure after all! You came back, you came back! I can't believe it!"

He had no idea what she was talking about, though he knew for a fact that he felt strange once he entered the building… Was it the Fourteenth? That would explain a lot, now wouldn't it? "Miranda, where are the others?"

She stopped rejoicing immediately as she slumped a little. Allen rose an eyebrow. That meant something bad happened, didn't it? "…Allen… When Lavi and I were searching through things, that man came back home and shot Lavi twice and me three times. The only reason I'm alive right now is because I activated my Innocence. I've taken a lot of damage…" She looked at him sadly. "The second I deactivate it, I think I'm going to die."

Allen paused, then his eyes slowly widened. "No!"

She nodded, then stared out into the darkness. "I'm glad I was able to do something, though, beforehand. I…" Her voice trailed off, then looked back at Allen, smiling. "My entire life, I thought I was useless. I still did, even with me being a part of the Black Order, but now I actually feel slightly confident about myself. It's thanks to my clock and you, Allen. Thank you. But before I start getting all too much sentimental…" She looked around quickly. "We need to find Lavi. Where's Kanda-- Allen?"

In his eyes were tears. He knew he couldn't do anything, but Miranda was important to him, just like everyone else from the Order. They were his family, and now one was going to die because he couldn't do jack-shit. He covered his face, letting out small sobs that were to the equivalent of a little boy. Miranda blinked once. Did she depress him? He hugged her immediately, clinging onto to her tightly. She didn't move as she listened intently. Over Allen's sobs was someone walking. She pushed Allen off. "Ssh… Someone's coming… I don't know who…"

The British exorcist looked to where she was looking and watched as the man in the white suit approached them, gun still in his hands, grin evident. Their eyes widened. "Well, now. The girl is still alive. Let's change that, shall we?"

Allen reacted faster than anyone else did as he re-activated his Innocence into Crown Clown and blocked the shots. "Leave her alone!"

"No."

Another shot, another block, and Allen took the fight fairly away from Miranda, leaving her alone again. If Allen didn't know where Kanda or Lavi were, she would have to go find them herself. She heard their fighting go farther and farther from where she was standing, and then finally she heard nothing at all. She turned and ran off in some random direction, guided mainly by instinct, to find her other fellow exorcists.

* * *

"…Haaah…"

Now if this was the process of dying, he only wanted to feel it once and get it over with. His eyes flickered open. He thought he was blind. Well, now, if he were blind, he would make a bad Bookman, now wouldn't he? His arm reached up, grabbing a hold of something and hoisting himself up. Since he was conscious, he was going to have to locate everyone else. But could he move any more than he just did? His legs hurt, as did his arms, and the sickness was returning. Everything was so dizzy… He forced himself to stay with it as he deactivated his hammer. He had managed to deflect the final blow from that man's gun, but he was still feeling the other two shots, one in his left knee and the other in his shoulder.

He temporarily removed his eye patch and saw the same thing his left eye saw. So maybe he wasn't blind, after all… He put the eye patch back on and looked around, then placed a hand on one of the walls. It was furry, fuzzy and warm. And wet. He reeled his hand back in, blinking once, then touched it again. '_Impossible. The house within itself is alive, and this is its way of saying it doesn't like the people within it at the current moment in time…' _

It seemed to inhale and exhale angrily. Lavi withdrew his hand a little too late as the walls seem to shrink in around him. His eyes widened when the space was no bigger than a broom closet, shrinking smaller and smaller until it completely imprisoned him. There was no air, only a sticky substance. He felt like he was going to be sick. Was the house digesting him? His fists pounded onto the walls, trying to possibly do some damage, but it just squeezed him tighter. It felt like it was breaking is body in two. His hand desperately reached into his pocket and pulled out the hammer again. "Time Shifting Hammer…" he started, then coughed before going onwards. "…Grow, grow, _grow!!"_

It split the walls open in four pieces as he crawled out, gasping for air. He frowned heavily. His uniform was now all wet and disgusting-feeling, and it felt as if one of his legs were going to give out on him at any time… But right now he needed to see. He grew more dizzy as he yelled, "Innocence, Level Two, Activate!" The seals appeared around the hammer. "Fire Seal! Fire Salamander!"

It hit the kanji-symbol for fire and the salamander came out, revealing the space he was in, and showing that he was wrong. There was actually a disgusting-looking worm thing that was moving against the walls and absorbing the house. The shadows were being produced by the thing, and it was huge. Lavi blinked once. If he could see it, then no doubt could it see him. The thing stopped, then turned in his general direction. He felt as if he was going to pass out. He glanced over his shoulder. There was a door right there, now if he could just get to it…! He started to run, then stopped and collapsed. His knee! A shadow tugged at his foot just as the Fire Salamander dissipated into ash and dragged him closer. His hands grabbed onto the rug, nails digging into it as much as he could.

"There is no way," he yelled, relocating the hammer he dropped and grasped a hold of it, "that I'm gonna be killed and digested by the likes of you, you worm-wannabe! Take a look at the food chain! Rabbits are more likely to eat worms than the other way around!"

His grasp broke as the shadow flung him right at the feet of the worm. It was getting bigger, the shadows starting to get a stink along with it. It's mouth opened and tried to eat him whole, but he put up his hammer to stop its mouth from moving any further. The two were in a grapple. Lavi's strength was depleting.

'_I can't hold this up for much longer…!' _he thought as it tried to eat him again. _'If I let go of the hammer, though, I'm finished!_' His body shook with a shiver. Something very, very cold was taking over him. _'H-Hunh? My body… It's growing numb?' _His hands started shaking as his grip lessened and lessened. It was game over for him. He couldn't take it any more as he let go of his hammer and it deactivated. The thing reeled and charged at him.

'…_Damn, done in by a slug. Maybe I am an idiot, after all…'_

It swallowed him whole and proceeded on its merry way to eating the house.

* * *

'_Che.'_

Something smelled like it was burning. He sat up, shaking his head. "Che. What is this shit…?" It was lit up like a candle, the room was. Was he hallucinating? He looked down as he realized the floor was a glass sheet looking down on the floor below. He squinted as he tried to see what was going on. Lavi was down there, fighting a worm-slug-mammoth abomination. He frowned. Could that idiot get any dumber? The flames faded as he heard a swallowing sound that vibrated where he was. Obviously he could. Kanda stood up, frowning. "Baka Usagi, you owe me twenty," he muttered under his breath, then proceeded to stomp the glass with his foot and nearly broke his foot instead of breaking it.

"What the fu-- Ichigen!" The bugs ate right through the glass and Kanda landed on top of the worm, stabbing it repeatedly. Something--probably its tail--grabbed him from behind and threw him into the opposite wall.

"Che." The Japanese exorcist was less than impressed as he stood back up. His uniform was now wet, which felt rather uncomfortable. He was at a disadvantage, though, because it was pitch-black and he couldn't see a thing, but his ears and instinct could make up for that. Something smelled horribly foul as he heard it open his mouth, almost like it was yawning. He took the opportunity to yell out. "Baka Usagi!"

"Y… uu… chan…"

So he was still alive and still being digested. So long as the idiot was alive he would have a chance at saving the idiot. The thing closed its mouth again and started running towards him. Kanda glared at it heavily. Today was not his day. The reasons were as following:

1. He woke up with a group of people he could care less about…

2. He wanted to kill Moyashi for whatever the fuck reason…

He blinked, then remembered why.

3. Allen had the nerve to _sleep _next to him…

4. They went to this man's house and basically were at his mercy…

5. Allen _kissed_ him. Or was it the other way around?

And the final reason? He had to fucking save everyone's asses all over again, starting with the Baka Usagi. He jumped up as it was about to crash into him and ran across its back and onto its tail before landing on the floor again. He knew what he was doing. This thing was an amateur at what it was trying to do. How did the Baka Usagi not realize its weakness? It's pretty easy to see, after all. His grip around Mugen grew tighter as the thing ran into the wall and turned around to face him. "…Mugen…"

It seemed to grow wings as it charged at him. He didn't give a damn as he let it swallow him up. Inside, he whispered, "Twin Blade Illusions." Mugen changed form one to two as he split it open from the inside, the worm's guts going everywhere, leaving behind black sludge of where it once stood. The shadows didn't fade. He cursed. That either meant it was still alive or there were more than one, and since he just split the one he was inside in two, it was more than likely the second option.

He searched through the remains and found Lavi's hand sticking out from under a huge pile of sticky sludge. He cursed again as he pulled him out from under it. The eighteen-year-old was covered with the black ooze. Kanda grimaced as he checked for a pulse. There was one, a faint one, but it was still there none the less. What he needed right now was Miranda. He picked the unconscious exorcist up and hefted him over his shoulders, walking out a door and into the next room.

"Ah--!"

And, luck have it, the over-reactive woman ran into him. He frowned as she started to apologize profusely. "Che. Stop it. Listen, the Baka Usagi is hurt. Can you remove the injuries he sustained temporarily?"

"Ah-- Of course," she nodded as the Innocence also effected him as well. Lavi groaned lightly as his eyes snapped open, not knowing what was going on. One second he felt himself being covered with disgusting sludge, trapped and unmoving, and the next second he was draped over Kanda's shoulders. Kanda let go of him as Lavi looked around, noticing that Miranda had joined them. No wonder why he felt fine… Now all they needed to find was Allen. Miranda hesitantly looked back where she had came from.

"Allen went to fight that Hagar man," she told them. "He's not doing too well. The Fourteenth tried to take him over, and I managed to suppress him back, even if it is only for a little bit, but still, I have no idea where they might be because Allen took the fight elsewhere, and I set out to find you two, and…" she took in a deep breath to finish her fairly long sentence. "… here I am. I'm glad you two seem fine."

Kanda and Lavi exchanged glances. Kanda was only fine because he was Kanda and Lavi nearly gotten eaten, but she didn't need to know that. The three stared out into the darkness. Lavi reached into his pocket, pulling out his Innocence before feeling even sicker than before. He grimaced and activated it, hitting the fire seal for the Fire Salamander. The area lit up as they headed towards the next door, following the long, flame-like lizard into the next room. It was probably the main dining hall for parties, due to its long length and width. The Salamander burned out too quickly as Miranda and Kanda looked to Lavi, who was passed out. He was far too sick to do anything more. The Japanese exorcist frowned as he picked him up and hefted him over his shoulder again. They walked across the floor.

"I still don't hear anything," Miranda commented.

"Che. Maybe Allen died. Good riddance."

She looked at him, confused. "I have a question…"

He rose an eyebrow. This woman barely talked to him as is, and now she had a question for him? It must have been something important, then. "What?"

She hesitated, as if she were a little afraid to know the answer or how he would react, coughed a little, and said, "Why have you stopped calling Allen 'Moyashi' these past few days?"

He stopped. She walked a little more before stopping herself. Did she ask a wrong question? Was he life now in jeopardy? She shouldn't of asked that question! Just as she started to apologize, he replied, "Che. Your guess is as good as mine.", before he started walking once more towards the door at the end of the room. She blinked, confused. That was not the answer she wanted to hear. Kanda was lying to her. She could tell by his voice. There was something he was hiding from her, and maybe even from himself, but she couldn't tell. All she knew was that Kanda calling Allen by his actual name was not right. It was as if Lavi was not giving anyone nicknames or Komui not drinking coffee or even Reever getting a full night's sleep for a week straight. In short, it just wasn't right! What could explain it? She went through several scenarios, and one stood out in her mind.

"Is it that… Kanda's in love with Allen?" she asked aloud unknowingly.

The next few seconds were a blur. Kanda turned to that statement, about to yell something when there was an explosion which blasted all three across the room, Kanda in one corner, Lavi in the middle of the floor, Miranda (somehow) into the balcony up above. There was a maniacal laugh that echoed across the room, debris scattering across the room. Allen grimaced as the fighting was backed into the room. There was another explosion, then another. Kanda groaned as he came to, seeing what was going on, then frowned. That idiot was going to get himself killed if all he did was block… He stood up, annoyed, and joined in on the fight by blocking a gun shot that would have hit otherwise by splitting it in two. Allen blinked.

"K-Kanda!" The British exorcist blushed lightly, but it was too dark for Kanda to even notice.

"Che."

Hagar looked annoyed as he pulled out another item, but it did not look like an explosive.

"Fine, then," he said, opening it and tossing the cork aside. "I'll just let him do all the work for me. And since there are already three up and about, four you surely won't survive!"

"Che. Those worm things? I killed one already. What makes you think I won't be able to beat the next three that come after me?"

"'Worm things'?" Allen repeated, confused.

Hagar looked beyond livid upon the news of one of his worms being dead. He pulled out another bottle, then another, and opened them both as they started to take shape. There was a loud screeching noise as the three materialized, followed by the two already-moving ones. They were surrounded. Hagar laughed. "Within the next ten minutes you all will be nothing but bones! Enjoy your meals, my pets!"

Kanda felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. Miranda was more than likely unconscious, and Lavi was already out. All that was left were him and Allen, who was just about as useful as a bag of kittens sometimes…

Was it really game over for them?

'_Che. Like hell,' _Kanda thought as he launched himself at one of the worms.

* * *

Woo-hoo! Chapter 8, done! And it's actually nine pages long! I am pleased with myself right now! Anyways… So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And THANK YOU so much for the favourites and the reviews! I wouldn't be typing if it weren't for you guys! I'll see you all later in (O_O!) nine! --K.S.


	9. To Tell or Not to Tell

Alrighty! I know I took a while, sorry about that. I got to page, said "F--- it.", and deleted it and re-wrote the damn thing. And this is what I got. I hope it's no longer too confusing, thought it probably still is. Ah, well. All will be better soon, I promise. And, and! Thank you so much for the reviews and favourites! 34 reviews! Wow! Wow! I love you guys! Anyways. Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 9 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the -H & R Block- ing release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

9. To Tell or Not to Tell, it's Not Up to You

Sickening stenches roused the redhead to re-awaken, the constant throbbing of his temples causing him to sit up, noticing several things wrong. The first thing was that he was in a room he had yet to recognize. The second thing was that the shadows were missing. The third thing was that Miranda laid sprawled out on the floor beside him, heaving and gasping and looking like she was going to die from exhaustion, and the fourth thing was that Kanda Yuu laid still as Allen was desperately pounding at his chest.

'_What… happened?' _he thought, trying to tilt his head enough so that the room was actually right to look at. There were black piles of something disgusting (the worms' guts, he took it) and blood, human blood, splattered across some of the walls, along with Mugen sticking out of one of the walls. There was a cracking noise, and he turned his throbbing head to see Miranda's clock falling apart slowly. Was she dying? Why would she be dying? Was she part of the fight? He shook his head constantly, a faint ringing noise in his ears irritating him beyond all get out, and tried to get his thoughts together and analyze what happened.

Blood, guts, and gore.

Add a few severally drained, physically and mentally, Exorcists.

Answer: Yuu-chan kicked several of those worm's asses, Allen helped, Miranda helped, too, and now because of the injuries Miranda was exhausted. But that didn't explain what in the seven hells was going on with Yuu.

He watched, pained, as Allen was yelling over the unmoving body. He tried to focus in a little more, noticing black sludge marks on the Japanese exorcist's face, the same ones on his hands. Now he was wicked confused. He wobbled up, feeling a sharp pain to one of his knees. What…? Oh, yes, he was shot. But there was no blood there. He glanced at Miranda, whose strength was decaying with each passing second. She didn't have much strength left. He frowned. What would cause her to be so physically exhausted? If he remembered correctly, she re-built the boat _and_ helped with the injuries for several days when they were sailing to Japan. She should have been fine! He wobbled over to Allen, who was staring blankly, unmoving, and stared at the sight he was looking at. A bone stuck out from Kanda's left arm, his leg contorted in a way that should not have been possible. It was sickening to see. He covered his mouth as the stench reeked where he was standing, almost as equally fowl to that of a dead body pulled out of an ocean and then put into a sewage plant for several weeks before hanging it out in the desert to let it dry. He could not help but gag, turning away, then looked back at Allen, his face paler somehow. The British exorcist had yet to look back at him.

"He's… not breathing," he muttered, hands lifeless at his side.

At first, Lavi thought he was joking. The Great Asshole, Kanda Yuu, _dead? _That had to be the joke of the century. But then he realized the seriousness of Allen's tone, the sight that laid before him, and the smell that lingered around him. He looked at Miranda, whose clock _should_ have been able to revert those injuries, but another part of the clock cracked, one of the hands of it falling of and turning to dust as it hit the floor. She was too tired. He stared down at Kanda, feeling another throb at his head and knee, and forced himself to kneel beside Allen. His hands reached to the broken exorcist's neck to feel for a pulse.

Something did pulse, yes, but it was only one. He paused, holding his fingers there for another ten seconds, and there was another beat. One every ten seconds… That shouldn't have even been possible. Another cracking sound from behind him. Another throb to his knee, and now his shoulder.

"Yuu?" Lavi's tone of concern was a little bit lower than that of Allen's. The man did not move, but he heard something within him move, like a shifting of one of the bones. He blinked slowly, feeling a huge wave of tiredness hit him like a freight train, and took in a shaky breath. "Earth to Yuu-chan!" Another sound of something shifting. He watched as Allen's eyes grew wide, then looked back and saw the bone that was sticking out of Kanda's arm was gone. It snapped back into place.

Lavi thought he was going to be sick.

When a louder crack occurred, Lavi felt something warm at his knee as he watched blood soak his pants. Miranda was just about to deactivate it. Allen showed that he had no intention of moving at all. He cursed softly to himself. He was going to have to save the day, and like this. Wobbling, he stood up and walked towards Miranda, picking the exhausted woman up, grabbed Mugen while he was at it, and hobbled back over to Allen and Kanda. He grabbed Kanda and put him over his shoulder. The weight of the two people made him want to cry in protest and beg Allen to take one of them, but he couldn't find his voice when he saw the expression on the boy's face.

Lost. Broken. Distraught.

All of which Lavi never thought he would see on Allen's face so long as he lived.

Which felt like that wasn't going to be much longer.

He pulled out his hammer with his right hand and activated it, and it grew in size to accommodate him. He looked at Allen as he grabbed onto the handle. "Are you coming or not, because there is no way I am gonna carry you, too."

It looked like he wasn't going to move, but he did and stretched his arm and grabbed the handle of the hammer. Lavi frowned, then cleared his throat before finding the words to say. "Time Shifting Hammer, Extend!"

The handle grew long enough as he shot out from the roof of the house and back into clean air, fresh air, snow-smelling air. It was a lot colder than he remembered it being and looked for the sun. There was none-- It was hidden by the grey clouds that warned of another snowstorm. He nearly lost his grip as Miranda's body nearly slipped off of his shoulders. He had to be careful. He touched down onto the roof and laid Kanda and Miranda down before grabbing his hammer again. He needed to fly this time.

"Neh, Allen-chan, make yourself useful and hold up Kanda for me, 'kay?" he said in as little words as he could come up with. His throat felt dry, arid, and cracked. He could hear it in his voice. Allen nodded slowly as he picked up Kanda. Lavi couldn't even fake a grin as he de-extended the hammer and got on it like a horse, Miranda in front of him so that she wouldn't fall, and they fell right back in front of the inn where they had slept in the previous night. When he and Allen, both carrying what looked to be dead bodies, the place went into uproar. The headache Lavi thought couldn't get any worse did as chatter and yells and whoops came from the patrons.

"_My God! _They look as if they were fighting the likes of zombies!"

"A dead man! A dead man! We're going to be next!"

"The Lost Scarecrow's Ghost must have done them in!"

"If so, then wouldn't they now be working for it?! Are they trying to get us?!"

The last comment sent the chatter soaring higher and higher as panic swept the room.

The person, who was there yesterday, behind the desk stared at them with eyes of curiosity and fear, tried to talk to them, but the yells of the place grew louder. Lavi couldn't take it anymore. He put Miranda down onto the floor carefully, and, when the yelling reached it's highest volume, got up onto the table and yelled, _"Will you all just shut the fuck up?!"_

The silence hung over the place as if there was going to be an air raid and there was no where to run. Allen's eyes were shocked wide, as were most of the patrons (and the person behind the desk as well). The apprentice Bookman seethed quietly for a moment, taking in a long, shaky breath as his knee started to act up again. He was afraid he was going to fall off at any second.

"Just, stay quiet, and listen." He tried to keep composed and cool, but the wooziness was not doing him any good. "We came here to figure out the mysteries of that inn. We haven't even been there yet. We tried to request the town's protector, Hagar, for help, and we got no where, just as it looks."

A silence. Then whispers.

"We are going to figure out what is going on there. But for right now, two of my fellow companions--" he waved at Kanda and Miranda "--and myself are in some serious need of a doctor. We are not working for the 'ghost' that lives in 'The Lost Scarecrow'. Just, please, we need medical attention…"

More whispers. The man from behind the desk coughed in annoyance. Lavi took that cue and jumped down from off of the desk, which did not do him any favors as his knee screamed in objection. "Strangers, I myself am a doctor," the man from behind the desk said. "Let me take you upstairs and away from all of this noise."

The phrase 'away from all of this noise' made Lavi beyond happy as he picked Miranda up and limped up the stairs, followed by Allen, who was carrying Kanda. They reached the farthest room at the end which had medical supplies and even several hospital-looking beds. _'This inn must also be a hospital…' _he confirmed.

The man sighed, then turned to Allen. "You don't look hurt at all, stranger."

"I…" his voice trailed off. He knew that. There was a reason behind that, and he didn't like that reason one bit. "… am not. You're right."

The man gave him a look of relief. "Good. Why don't you stand outside while I take care of these three? I assure you, I will do everything I can to help them."

"Thank you…" Allen muttered as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Now what? Timcanpy came out from the room they had taken and spun around his head several times, stopped, landed on his shoulder and allowed its wings to droop in sadness. The boy took several more steps forward before finally letting the feeling of something unpleasant sink in.

"Damn…" he mumbled.

He made it to the room and closed the door before feeling a sob well up and manage to come out of his mouth, sounding more strangled than he thought it would. He let everyone down, especially Kanda. He screwed up, again, and now two of his friends, maybe even three, could die because he was stupid. He wished that someone, like Lenalee, were here to tell him otherwise, but he knew there was no denying it. He was an idiot. He was…

Timcanpy frowned and bit his ear almost clean off (if it had actually tried, which it didn't) in annoyance. Allen yelped, looking at the golden-coloured golem with teary-eyes and looked at it as if it grew three heads. "Wha-What was that for?!"

It's wings gave it the look of 'it should be obvious', and it flew off and around the room in circles before crash-landing onto the bed that laid before it. Allen blinked. Tim was annoyed that he was feeling sorry for himself. Well, what else should he have been doing? They had no leads… Did they? Lavi might have found something, and same with Miranda, but they were currently being treated… And Miranda…

He bit his lower lip as he made several conclusions in his head. For one, Hagar was an enemy to them. For two, those worm things weren't Akuma-- they were scientific experiments, which meant Hagar must have had a degree in the sciences. And for three, there have been little sightings of Akuma anywhere while he had been awake. Did they only come out in the night? And if so, where did they stay? The Lost Scarecrow? But that was where the theory for the accommodator was lurking. So wouldn't all of the Akuma get killed if they stayed there?

His head swam with many confusing, but distracting, thoughts as he felt himself slowly grow hungry. He wanted something sweet, like dango, but in all honesty, he didn't want to eat, no matter how much his stomach protested. More than anything, he was exhausted, and wanted to sleep. But first he needed to plan for tomorrow, although that depended on everybody else's status. If one of them died-- and hopefully, none of them did -- then there would be only three exorcists wandering blindly into a building they know little to nothing about. His frown deepened. _Why? _Why was this mission exceedingly difficult? It should have been fairly easy…

Something tapped on the windows. All of the windows. His gaze shifted towards them and noticed it started to hail. Hail, of all things. With such a snow-coloured sky, he would have expected it to actually snow some more. He wished it would snow more. He really, truly wished. But for someone such as himself, did his wish deserve to be granted after all the failures he had committed?

His head started to hurt with all of the thinking processes. He laid down on one of the beds, sighing heavily, as the tapping of the hail to the windows became somewhat of a melody in his head, like that of the Ark… One thought lead to another, until there were no thoughts at all, and he rolled over tiredly to get some shut-eye, hoping and praying that all of his friends would come out all right.

'…_Kan…da…' _his thoughts echoed before finally falling asleep.

* * *

It was dark when he found his eyes snapping open. He could have sworn something was up, because there was someone knocking at the door, almost frantically. He stood up, rushed and in a daze, and opened the door to see the man from behind the desk standing there, eyes wide. "Stranger," he breathed, "something is not right. Follow me."

Allen followed the man, still half-asleep, into the room where his friends were. Lavi was staring at him stupidly. _'Of course he'd be all right,' _Allen thought, but the man immediately made him forget that. They approached the bed where Miranda was. Her eyes were wide, body unmoving. "I-I tried everything for her, and yet she… Her injuries were so severe I… There…" the man's words failed him as Allen reached out and touched her face. It was too cold. His eyes widened. "…She's breathing, barely, but the blood loss… and everything… and… there seems to be shock, too, but I don't know from what… She's mostly paralyzed…"

Lavi, who was looking over Allen's shoulder (though he didn't know it), cursed softly. "Are you saying, old man, that she's gonna die?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," the man admitted.

"Hn."

Allen looked at Lavi for a long moment. "…How come you seem fine?"

"Yeah, I don't know that, either," the man frowned. "I tried to pull the bullets out from his body, but they suddenly melted and healed him completely." The frown deepened. "But I will tell you something right now-- His body temperature is unreasonably high-- a near 105 degrees Fahrenheit, to be precise. He shouldn't be moving around like that."

"Oh, pish-posh!" Lavi grinned. He looked at Allen and grinned some more. "I bet you want me to tell you what I found, right? C'mon, let's get back to the room and let him deal with Mir-Mir-chan and Yuu-chan."

"Kanda!" he yelled in exclamation. "H-How is Kanda?!"

The man from behind the desk sighed. "His bones are rapidly regenerating themselves. It's nothing I've ever seen before… But I will take the best of care of them for you two. Please… save our village."

The two nodded as they proceeded out of the room and back into the room of where they were residing in. Lavi closed the door behind them and sighed. "Alright, listen close, I think I'm only gonna be able to say this once before needing to take a nap and try to get better. Me and Mir-Mir-chan--"

"Incorrect grammar."

The redhead frowned. _"Me and freakin' Mir-Mir-chan _found out that Hagar guy is an associate with the Millennium Earl. I have a feeling that the house he's living is a nice little place for the Akuma to stay in, don't you think?" Allen nodded. "So what my theory is is that I think The Lost Scarecrow is not where the Akuma are. The Innocence has to be in there. I can't think of any other reasoning behind it. And what if this person is like Crow-chan? What if they have only been killing Akuma?"

Allen pondered over these facts. For a hypothesis, it was pretty damn good. "So what do we do?"

"I say we take the rest of today off, let at least me and Yuu-chan-- God only knows he'll be fine in five minutes --recover a bit, and you plan for tomorrow. Mir-Mir-chan is having problems with her Innocence, I think, 'cause it shouldn't have done something like that. She should have had more stamina, at the very least… Hunh." He adjusted his bandana a little bit and sighed. "We really can't afford her to get involved, that is if she even is responsive tomorrow… But that's just my personal opinion. Other than that, I don't know." He yawned loudly. "G'night, Allen-chan, and make sure Yuu-chan doesn't kill you." He crashed onto one of the beds and fell asleep almost immediately. Allen blinked.

'_How does he even do that?' _he thought.

"OH! Wait!" Lavi sat up. "What in the hell happened at that house when I was out? 'Cause I have no idea what went on."

The British exorcist hesitated. He knew that Lavi was out earlier; he just hoped that he didn't have to explain what happened. He took in another shaky breath before exhaling in a sigh. "Well… Kanda, Miranda and I were fighting those strange worms. And Miranda, she seemed too tired to be fighting as is, so she tried not to get in the main action." He swallowed hard. "I got careless. I let my guard down and, in doing so, Kanda…" He frowned. "We had destroyed three of those worms already, and I launched myself at the last worm."

"I forgot the actual last one was not, because there were two there. Then the shadows attacked me in tenfold, and I found myself being digested by one of the worms. Crown Clown was not in my reach anymore, and I found that I could not breathe in that thing. I heard Kanda yell something, but I… I was already out of it. When I woke up, I found that Kanda was pulling me out of some ooze. He looked rather bad, his forehead was bleeding, even. I noticed it was still dark and was about to ask him if he had killed them all, but then…" The frown deepened. "…It got Kanda off-guard and threw him across the room. I was in shock and tried to locate Crown Clown, but while doing so the worm… ran him over, very, very slowly."

"I found it then-- it wasn't easy to find in the darkness --and saw what was going on. I threw Crown Clown at it, in desperation, and managed to split it in two separate pieces. But that didn't even stop it. It…" He looked sicker than Lavi at that moment, "It grew another pair of eyes, the second pile, and started to attack me while the other ate Kanda. I was about to get eaten when Miranda stopped the attack again and again and I managed to finally kill that one before she completely exhausted herself. I put her off to one side before trying to help Kanda." He shuddered. "It started to smell like dead bodies then, but I didn't stop trying to help him. I killed that one with slight difficulty and tried to find Kanda. He was under one of the piles of the remaining junk… and wasn't breathing… and…"

Lavi's eyes grew partially wide. "Allen-chan? Are you okay?"

The British boy blinked, tears rolling down his cheeks. It was the thought of seeing Kanda lying there, broken and bloody, and not breathing. "I was…" he seemed to struggle to find the adjective he was looking for, and even when he did it came out in a whisper. "…_scared_… I couldn't… I… Kanda…"

Lavi got up and hugged the boy, feeling as if it were the only thing he could do right then. Allen didn't move or even breathe. He just let those tears that were rolling down his cheeks fall. He was so worried earlier, and now, for the doctor to tell him that he was healing perfectly strange, it was a great relief. He thought Kanda would be dead and he though he'd never hear him call him by his name ever, ever again. Or even Moyashi. He didn't care anymore. If it were enough to keep Kanda alive, he would allow him to call him Moyashi. "I never… want to see him like that ever again," he mumbled into Lavi's shoulder. "Never. I would rather die."

Lavi laughed. "Gods, Moyashi-chan, it sounds like you are in love and can't be separated from him or else you want to kill yourself. Relax, Yuu-chan will be fine-- Allen?"

Allen was looking up at him, eyes shocked wide. He misheard Lavi and thought he said that he loved Kanda and that was why he was stressing about it. "H-How did you find out about how I felt?!" he yelled, panicked.

"Hunh?" Lavi was immediately confused, then tried to put the puzzle pieces together. "Uh… Allen, you're speakin' crazy. What are you on about?"

"How did you know about… about… my liking Kanda?!" he said. "You just said that--"

Lavi's eyes were wide. "Wha? _No! _I said that you sounded like you were-- wait-- What did you just sa--? Holy shit-- _You love __Yuu-chan__?!" _

The startling earth-shattering-ka-boom resounded inside the Bookman Junior's head. Allen Walker, the long-proclaimed enemy of the Earl and Kanda, was in love with the second person he hated most?! Thoughts ran rampant through his mind. Did Kanda know? Was Kanda in love with Allen or was it just one-sided? Allen blinked, confused. So he didn't figure it out earlier. But now he knew. He felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face, eyes slowly becoming wide.

He had just told his biggest secret to the worst person to tell secrets to.

An.

Apprentice.

_Bookman._

"Wai-Wait! I was just joking! Hah hah! Got you!" he was desperate, trying to make it so that he was trying to get Lavi with a joke. It wasn't working as Lavi just rose and amused eyebrow. Allen felt himself panic and give up. "…Please, Lavi. Please, I'm begging you, _please_ don't tell Kanda. Or Miranda. Or anyone. Keep this between us, okay? Please?"

The redhead seemed to think about it, shaking his head. "I just can't get my thoughts around it, Allen-chan. I mean… You loving Yuu-chan, that's just…" Several adjectives filled his head, among them _weird _and _kinky_, but he didn't say either of those. "…the last thing I would even imagine happening."

"I know," the British exorcist twiddled his thumbs. "That's how I was able to keep a secret for this long."

"Just how long have you liked him, Allen-chan?"

He bit his lip. He honestly had no clue. Was it before, in that earlier mission? Or had he been fooling himself this entire time and liked him the second he laid eyes on him? He blushed lightly. Maybe. "…For a while now… I just know I'll never have the nerve to tell him, and I…" He paused, looking at Lavi, who was staring at him with honest curiosity and, by the looks of it, a desire to help him in some fashion. "I know we're both guys, but, oh… I just… When he accidentally kissed me… I'm still not able to get it out of my head. I want…" His voice dropped to a whisper, which made it more difficult for the apprentice Bookman to hear. "…to kiss him again. More than anything."

Another long pause. Lavi sat back down onto the bed, sighing and thinking about the given information to him. "So… you _really_ like Yuu-chan?"

A hesitant nod.

"And you say you wanna kiss him again."

Another hesitant nod.

Lavi thought a little bit more. He knew Allen would never grow the courage to face the Great Asshole Kanda Yuu and tell him how he felt. He just knew that for a fact. It was going to be difficult, but he was going to have to interfere. It was in his nature, and besides, he wanted to help Allen. He grinned widely at him. "Good luck, then, Allen-chan. I wish I could help more, but my head is really killing me right now and I can't think properly. I need to sleep… Can you let me do that for a while?"

"Okay." Allen nodded as Lavi curled back up under the blankets before falling asleep.

After a few minutes passed, he went downstairs and got several sweet things to eat before heading back upstairs, sighing. It was quiet outside, the hailing had stopped, and the street light showed the snow gleaming brightly. He paused, wanting it to snow. He wanted it to snow more that anything. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. White flecks floated down.

His wish was granted.

Quietly, he opened the door and closed it behind him, heading down the stairs and out the front door. It crunched quietly beneath his boots as he walked far enough away into a place so quiet it was surreal. The crescent moon broke out from behind the clouds as the boy kicked at the ground and smiled half-heartedly to himself. He wondered how everyone back home was doing, if Miranda was going to be okay, if Lavi was going to recover quickly… He sighed, and then wondered what it would be like if Kanda actually returned the same affections he did. It would never happen. Never.

He picked up a fist-full of snow, then started to roll it across the ground until it was of decent size and stopped. He made another and put it on that one, then a final one and put it on top of that one. He found himself smiling stupidly at it, putting a smile on its face with just indenting it upon it. He found himself laughing.

And laughing loudly.

Somehow, all that stress that had built up was finally gone with the making of that snowman as he ran back to the inn, a silly grin on his face, even as he came back in and walked up the stairs, opening the door and sighing.

No matter what tomorrow brought, it was going to be fine.

He didn't care anymore.

The howling of the wind outside seemed to disagree as it seemed to echo softly and telling about the danger.

If only he had listened.

* * *

Wow, ominous ending right there. So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It's very much appreciated. Next chapter is less confusing and maybe even a little bit of-- Oh, whoops, I'm not a liberty to say. See you in Chapter 10! --K.S.


	10. Start of the Game

**Happy (early) Thanksgiving! Though, this chapter is a little strange and maybe should be more for a Halloween base, but hey, you know what, moving on. (Warning: Some of your favourite characters may die within this chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.) I hope you all have a happy holiday, because turkey is divine! …Though if you put wasabi on it, it's nasty. Ahem. Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 10 of 'Niveous Sky'!**

**Warning: **Part of this may be gruesome depending who you are. If you don't like the thought of people's eyeballs being ripped out, well… Eheh. Take care.

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. This series is a bean sprout and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better…

* * *

10. Start of the Game

They needed a plan for tomorrow. Allen frowned at that thought as he went back inside the inn and walked up the stairs slowly to the room they had taken. Lavi was still sleeping. Kanda and Miranda weren't in there. He frowned, then laid down and tried to think. He laid still, trying to make the plan for tomorrow. Lavi's light snores echoed through the room as Allen threw an arm over his eyes. He didn't want to think. He wanted to sleep more than anything. They had to do something by tomorrow, they needed to find the accommodator and figure out what in the hell were they doing in an abandoned building. Miranda couldn't do anything, really, and if Lavi didn't get better soon, then they were down two people, and it would just be him and Kanda to finish the job, and Kanda was also having problems… He groaned, sitting up. It was getting late and he was tired. But he had to come up with something… They needed to investigate The Lost Scarecrow tomorrow. That's all he knew. But then again, that Hagar man disappeared during the fight earlier, and he had no idea where he went. Did he run away? And if so, where to?

Timcanpy was on his pillow as he tried to lay back down and frowned, sighed, then rested his head just below where the little golden golem laid. What were they going to do? Was he supposed to just go and do it by himself? His frown deepened as his thoughts came to the same answer. Yes, he was going to have to more than likely do it himself. Could he do it? Even Kanda sometimes needed help, like last time, so was he capable of doing such a thing? He felt himself groan again. The wind outside howled loudly again, almost whispering to turn back and to not go in there, but his ears were deaf to such language. He sighed, even more exhausted. He probably would not be able to sleep that night. Go figure.

Hour after hour passed. The night grew older with each passing second, but it was not quiet day as Allen found himself staring blankly up at the ceiling with not a thought to break the monotony of boredom and worry. Not a few hours ago was he laughing without any stress, and now he was back to square one. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, on the verge of sleep when they just suddenly snapped open. He sighed, glancing at the clock that he could not read from that distance and felt himself sigh again while getting up and looking at it closely. It was a little after midnight.

'_Hell, I can't sleep,' _he thought, sighing. _'And if I do, I think it won't be 'me' who wakes up. The Fourteenth would probably take advantage of me and… I don't even want to know what would happen… But so long as I'm awake, I should be okay.' _He nodded to himself about that, sighing in slight relief.

_You sure about that, boy?_

His eyes widened as he took two steps back. What…? His hands covered his face as he tried to breathe normally but couldn't. No, no, this wasn't supposed to happen, not now, not when everyone was asleep! He grimaced as he felt his body betray him and start opening a drawer from one of the cabinets. He watched his own hand grab a knife as he found that resisting wasn't working at all.

_Are you absolutely sure about that? _It sounded as if it were mocking him. _Are you positive? Because, you know, only fools are positive. _

A quiet sound of laughter echoed in Allen's head as he found himself walking towards the room where Kanda and Miranda were in. He opened the door slowly, seeing the two of them. Miranda still seemed to be paralyzed as Kanda looked as if he were just sleeping and had mostly recovered, which would have been good news to Allen under any other circumstances, but right now he wished that Kanda was awake and able to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do.

_Ah, that woman… _It sounded annoyed this time, with a hint of revenge within its tone. _That woman stopped me from taking you over last time! Hah, and now she is not moving. I have the perfect opportunity, then-- Best not to waste it. Then I can get on with killing the Earl myself. Heh._

Allen felt a sheer wave of panic hit him, hard, as he approached Miranda, knife raised high above his own head. By the looks of it, if it had swung down, it would have stabbed the woman directly in the heart. He tried to find his voice, to call out to anyone to tell them to stop him, but he couldn't. He had no voice of his own anymore. It was being drowned out by the Fourteenth's desire to kill her. He watched in terror as he felt the muscles in his arm swing the knife down in a shining arc and stab Miranda right in the heart. She did not gasp or anything. She simply laid still as she started to bleed, her once-petrified eyes suddenly softening and fading off into the unknown distance.

'_N-No! This can't be happening!'_

_But it is, boy. Teaches her for interfering. Let's stab her several times more, just for good measure. _

The knife stabbed the dead woman's body repeatedly until it finally stopped. The Fourteenth seemed to have used up too much time trying to control the highly-stubborn Allen Walker, who was now staring at his own hands in utter shock. They were covered in blood, Miranda's blood, and he couldn't do anything to save her. He was too weak to stop the Fourteenth, and now, Miranda laid in front of him, knife in the center of her chest, unmoving, not breathing. Blood seeped through the blankets that covered her. Allen felt a cry for help well up in his chest, but couldn't seem to yell out the right words. All words were lost just by looking at the scene.

"…Ah," he managed, taking several steps back and putting up his blood-covered hands to block out the imagery. It only made it worse. His eyes were shocked wide, his mind struggling to comprehend anything, his body shaking. He had just _murdered_ Miranda Lotte, one of his friends and considered family. His knees gave out as he fell on the floor, shaking more. He had sworn to protect everyone. And now…

"Ah…. Aaah…." His back hit the wall, unable to look away. There was nothing else to look at. All he could see was blood. "Aaaah…!"

He suddenly wanted to run. He wanted to pretend this never happened. He wanted to hide the body and say that she had gone missing and was never to be found again, with all of this snow. Or was it really him wanting that? Did he no longer have a will? Did the Fourteenth take over more than he thought? The shaking wracked his body as he felt his bloody hands hug himself tightly, teeth chattering. It would not be long until the sun rose and someone would walk in, seeing the blood and gore of what had happened there, and then they'd more than likely turn to him and see him with the blood-covered hands.

He was doomed.

But wasn't he like that from the beginning?

"Aaaah!" He felt the scream welling up more and more until he could no longer take it anymore. It replayed in his head, what had happened, what was going to happen, until all sanity was lost. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. "Aaaaah! AAAAHHHH!!!"

"What is it, Allen?" Lavi came running in, completely confused of as to what was going on. He stopped, eyes wide at the scene. This was either his mind playing tricks on him again or this was actually happening. Allen was in the corner of the room, shuddering and breathing erratically, his hands covering his ears. He looked absolutely terrified. Lavi blinked, eyes shifting towards the knife sticking out of the body. He put the pieces together, then couldn't believe it. "Allen… You… Mir-Mir-chan… She… The blood… What's going on?"

The boy hesitated, then a sudden laugh, and a sigh. "Allen. Tch. That moron keeps letting me in and out of control, the fool. He should just let me devour his soul and let me come in completely." He followed Lavi's eyes to Miranda. "Oh, her. Tch. She was just someone stupid, someone who interfered with my possessing of this boy. Do you mind if I kill you, too? You've seen too much."

Lavi took one step back, eyes wide. Allen was turning more and more into the Fourteenth Noah. In fact, he was facing him with his own eyes. He didn't know what to do. Attack Allen? But it was still Allen, even if the Fourteenth was currently in his body. Allen, one of his best friends even though he wasn't supposed to have comrades. But…

His hand reached in his pocket and pulled out the small hammer, extending it to accommodate him. Now what? He looked over to where Kanda was laying, only to see the Japanese exorcist laying still, unconscious. He was still recovering. Kanda would know what to do in this situation. Lavi hesitated as he watched the Fourteenth approach him, no weapon in his hand.

"What is it, boy?" he laughed. "Are you afraid to die?"

"No." _Yes, a little bit, but it's still a little bit._

The boy laughed as he suddenly disappeared, causing Lavi to do a double-take. He was gone. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to kill him, but what other choice did he have?

"Boy."

Lavi turned a little too late to see the fist coming towards his chest. He could not dodge as his first instinct was to put up his hammer's handle to maybe block the attack, but it didn't work. The hand extended its fingers and created a huge gaping hole in Lavi's chest, causing the redhead to cough blood in response. The Noah laughed as he just let the teenager slip from his arm and onto the floor, eyes staring at nothing.

'_Stop it.'_

The Noah laughed loudly as he walked out of the room normally. Humans really detested him, but the Earl did more so, and besides he needed to train his skill. And this town did not seem all that important, so he would train on them first.

'_Stop it!'_

He walked down the stairs and exited out the front stairs and sighed. The night air was crisp, cold, and refreshing. It felt nice. He rubbed the little blood splatter on his face off as he walked towards the closest house. Two children, both little girls and twins, by the looks of it, laid there with their eyes closed. No, no. That was no fun. He shook them awake as both gave them dazed and confused looks at him. He grinned widely creepily as the two maybe seven-year-old girls started to cry, terrified. He grabbed the first one and pulled both of her eyes out, putting them off to one side. The other screamed. He frowned. No, no. Naughty. He snapped the girls neck in two before tossing her into the fire place where the warm fire was. A small scream of pain came from her as she was engulfed by the flames. He laughed as the other girl cried loudly, eye sockets bleeding out. He frowned. Why were girls so annoying? He put her down and kicked her swiftly in the ribs, so hard and forceful so that it caused the ribs to poke out of her back, piercing her skin and lungs.

'_STOP!'_

The Noah sighed as the girl began drowning and choking on her own blood before reaching over and grabbing the eyeballs, eating them one at a time thoughtfully. Her parents stood there, eyes shocked wide. The mother covered her mouth, but never got the chance to unleash her scream as he pulled one of the ribs sticking out from the little girl's back and threw it forcefully to pierce her right in the forehead. She fell down immediately, dead. The father, panicked, grabbed his gun and fired three times. The Fourteenth just shook his head and approached the man as he started to back away, holding another rib from the little girl. The end result was terrible as the father fell, dead. The entire family was massacred. Perfect. He unleashed a loud, harsh, barking laugh that could have echoed for fifty miles…

…which caused the Japanese exorcist to sit up, eyes shocked wide, breathing arduously. The daylight broke through the window off to the left, the blue sky dotted with a few grey and white clouds. He took in sharp breathes before looking to his left, seeing Miranda laying there, breathing. He blinked. Why the fuck was he having dreams about Allen turning into the Fourteenth? And why, of all things, did he feel a little bit scared? He grimaced as he found the bracelet that locked his hair into one place on the side table and clipped it back on, scowling. He got up, feeling a little bit disoriented from it and maybe even a bit sick, and walked out of the room back to the room he remembered was theirs.

He opened the door to see Lavi sleeping soundly, light snores coming from the redhead, and Allen sleeping on the floor, right next to the bed. Did the idiot fall off? It wouldn't surprise him. He closed the door behind him as he found Mugen out of its sheath, lying on the floor right beside Allen's bed. Too bad that neither of them seemed to trip over it.

"Che." He looked down at Allen, frowning. He didn't look like he had turned into the Fourteenth yet. He sighed slightly in relief. That scene of Miranda, Lavi, and that family had shaken him up more than he had thought, which was odd because nothing ever really shook him up. He was Kanda, after all. He sat down beside the white-haired exorcist, closing his eyes and meditating. His head was still in a fog-- It must have been still rather early in the morning. Besides, the Baka Usagi was still asleep, and he was almost always the first one to wake up. He straightened his back and cleared his thoughts, breathing nice, even breathes.

Allen rolled over on his side, sighing, before his hand ended up grabbing a tussle of Kanda's hair. The man didn't notice as he was too far in the zone of things. Allen moved a little closer, still sleeping as an arm reached out and grabbed a hold of Kanda's. He blinked, eyes opening, and saw what Allen was doing. He was holding hands with him. Confusion turned to fury as he found himself glaring at the sleeping boy. He tugged his hand free and frowned, returning back to meditating. Allen didn't budge for a few more minutes, then both arms wrapped around Kanda's waist, sighing. His eyes snapped open wide just in time to see Allen sit up and tackle him over. He was completely rigid as the two were laying together, Allen's arms wrapped around him as if they were… As if he… Almost like a… Kanda couldn't even finish the horrifying thought as Allen snuggled closer, resting his head on his chest.

"Wah… Gweh…" Words failed him temporarily as he tried to heave the boy off, but his arms felt too weak from the recovery process to do so. He grimaced. If that dream was scary, then this was a fucking _nightmare_.

"Mmph…" Lavi sighed before his green eye lazily opened, looking at Kanda and Allen. "Oh… G'mornin', Yuu-chan, Allen-chan…" He sat up, yawning and stretching before blinking, doing a double-take, then looked at the two cuddling exorcists. "WHA-- Yuu-chan--?! Allen--?!"

"Call me fucking Yuu-chan again, I fucking_ DARE _you," Kanda seethed quietly. "Get this moron off of me, now!"

"Aww, but you two look so cute together!" Lavi chimed, totally enjoying this.

"Like hell!"

"I think you two would make a good couple." He grinned widely as he saw several of Kanda's veins throb more than they usually did. "Well, I'm off to get some breakfast. You two can enjoy cuddling with one another, okay?" He found his boots and put them on quickly before heading out the door downstairs.

"_Wha-- Baka-- Oi! _Get back here!" Kanda yelled, but the door closing behind Lavi marked his doom. He tried pushing off Allen again, but failed and resulted in him squeezing Kanda closer. "Che! Don't make me regret saving you yesterday, Allen! Get off of me, now! Wake up, damn it!"

The little sigh that came from him indicated that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. Kanda groaned, tempted to yell at the top of his lungs, but if this moron could sleep through train whistles, then his attempts would be rendered useless. He would have to wait. And once that Baka Usagi came back, he would murder him painfully. The frown deepened on his face as he pretended that he was somewhere else. Back home, back at the Order, sleeping in his bed and not needing to wake up until later in the day, free of Allen and free of any idiot that existed. He sighed, relaxed with that thought. Free of work, if only for a little bit. Then he would wake up, go to the dining hall and stop Allen from seeing Jerry before he did, get some soba and eat at his own content. Then he'd probably get a mission without Allen (even Lavi would have been a better choice) and go off without having to think about that idiot for days, kill Akuma and get the Innocence, and then come home while Allen was gone.

Something clicked then to Kanda. Every thought that he had just produced all had Allen's name within it. He grunted, annoyed. The moron was stupid, so he needed to stop thinking of him, fast, or he would get his stupid-germs. He whacked his head off the floor after that thought. God, he did sound like a five-year-old! He tried to distract himself as he lifted his head back a little, just enough to see the window. It really was a clear sky, free of any traces of snow storms. There was a little bit of frost on the glass that was starting to melt from the sun's rays, even though it was inconsiderably cold that day. He sighed as Allen's lips brushed up against his neck, a small sigh tickling the hairs of it.

'_Che. Where is that Baka Usagi? Once that door opens, I'm sure of it that Allen will wake up…' _he thought, moving his head a little bit away from the far-more younger and incompetent exorcist.

Downstairs, Lavi was busy talking to townspeople who were in the inn fairly early, trying to collect more information. Apparently three more people had gone missing, all of which were trying to find their own loved ones. He nodded and thanked all the people who gave him the information and later found himself standing outside of The Lost Scarecrow.

'_I know I should have told Allen and Kanda, but I…' _He walked up the first step, pulling out the hammer he had always trusted. _'I really don't want to interfere between them, so I'm just gonna…'_

"Hold up, stranger!"

Lavi stopped, pausing, noticing the guy from the bar that he talked to earlier. What was his name again? Seymour? Seymour approached him, taking in sharp breathes after running. "Stranger, you would be insane if you tried to take this place by yourself. I heard about what happened at Hagar's house. I may have something of interest to you if you come back to the bar with me. It's something that I found yesterday."

'_Hunh? Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Besides, Yuu-chan will know something is wrong if something does go wrong and come after me.' _Lavi nodded cautiously as he put the hammer back into his pocket, but never pulled his hand back out from it. He followed Seymour back into the bar the man ran. He walked behind the counter and reached under it, pulling out a small, black box.

"I didn't know what it was, stranger," he shook his head and opened it. Inside resided a shiny object, almost like a brooch. On it was a purple stone cut into a trapezoid. "This was Hagar's pride and joy," Seymour explained. "Though, it wasn't purple, I know it wasn't. It was a dark, dark blue. But watch--" he came out from behind the counter and walked towards The Lost Scarecrow. Lavi followed behind him and watched in awe as it turned to yellow once they touched the first step of the building. "I don't know what the connection is, but it might help you out, stranger. Wasn't your name Labi or Ravi or something like that?"

"Lavi," the redhead corrected.

"Right, Lavi," Seymour nodded. "Here-- It may help you out later on." He handed the brooch to Lavi and he put it in his pocket. Seymour glanced at the building before looking back at him. "Are you seriously thinking about going in there now, without that girl or anyone else?"

"I came in a group of four," Lavi explained. "The girl, Mir-Mi-- er, Miranda, was injured badly yesterday as a result with our fight against Hagar. The other two, well…" He gave a sheepish laugh. "I wake up early and they don't, so I was kinda thinking if I left now they could just catch up and find me later."

Seymour frowned. "Lavi, I'm going to help you out. There is no way, after all of the deaths and missing persons, am I going to allow you to go alone. It just doesn't seem right."

The thought did not sound good to Lavi. He was ordinary, a townsperson, but then again, it might be good to have someone go with him. But what if there were Akuma in this building? And what if the accommodator of the Innocence was in here, too, and tried to kill them without warning? He was about to protest as Seymour pointed to the gun attached to his belt and opened the door.

"Well, Lavi?" he asked. "Are you coming with me or no?"

* * *

'_Where the fuck is that moron? It doesn't take that long to eat breakfast, and Moyashi doesn't look like he's going to wake up soon…'_

Allen's breathing was nice and steady, a small smile on his face. Kanda frowned at that. He was probably dreaming something good, something that dealt with either food or Lenalee or of that father person. What was his name? Mana or something? He heard that before when Allen was dreaming. He sighed, trying to shake him awake. It didn't work. He was getting really tired of this as he forced his arms to peel Allen off of him. But even when he did, Allen just latched onto him again.

"Che!" he glared daggers at him. "Allen! Wake the fuck up, will you?!"

"Ka… nda…." he muttered in a small sigh. "…Mm… Kanda… … … ki… me…"

The Japanese man frowned. What was this moron doing? He was smiling and saying his name, and looked happy. Was he dreaming that he had died or played a prank on him. He closed his eyes and sighed, opening them to see Allen's face too close to his. It was too late for him to try to avoid it when their lips connected. Kanda tried not to lose it but failed. Who gave a fuck if they were missing another exorcist on their team? No one! He was about to yell loudly when Allen muttered, "…you have… good tasting lips… Kanda."

The man went completely rigid. _'Wha-What the hell is Allen saying?! Has he lost his mind?! Why is he dreaming of k-kissing me?! And why does that bother me so much?! Well, it should bother me! The question should be why DOESN'T it bother me all that much?! Did I lose __my__ mind?! Che!' _He stared, completely speechless, at Allen, who was slowly opening his eyes, looking fully rested and content.

"Huh? Kanda?" he stared back in disbelief. Kanda, the man he liked, was underneath him, looking completely shocked. Part of him did not want to get up and just lay back down next to him. Part of him wanted to run now so that he wouldn't get killed later. Instead he went with option three and asked, "Why do you look so shocked?"

There was many answers that came to his mind, but the only one that decided to come against his will said breathlessly, "You fucking kissed me a second time."

"Ah-- So that wasn't just a dream?" Allen asked unthinkingly before getting off of Kanda. "Sorry."

The man sat up, glaring dangerously. "What do you mean, 'that wasn't just a dream'? Why the _fuck_ are you _dreaming _about _kissing_ me?!"

"Uh…" Allen felt himself begin to panic. If Kanda figured out his feelings for him, then things would get really complicated. They needed to finish this mission without anything awkward getting in the way, and it would be rude to force his feelings on Kanda. But even so, his heart begged for him to pour out his feelings to him, tell him he loved him, and probably be rejected instantly. And so what if he did? He paused, trying to come up with a good way to fix this problem. He blinked. "Ah! Where is Lavi?"

"Huh?" His plan worked as Kanda remembered the missing Baka Usagi. "Oh… Che." He got up, brushing the imaginary dirt off of his clothes and grabbed Mugen, putting it back into its proper sheath. He frowned. "Don't think I'm letting you off, Allen. I will remember this after we're done and I will get an answer out of you. Understand?"

He swallowed hard, a bead of sweat running down his cheek, a small blush crossing his face, eyes looking down. He had to make him forget somehow. Somehow. But how? He would come up with something, something good, no matter what he had to resort to. He walked out the door of the room that they were in and headed downstairs, Kanda following behind him. There was no sign of Lavi as they scanned the area. Allen furrowed his eyebrows close together. All of these people and not a single redhead in sight. Did he go outside? He frowned and left the building, then noticed a pair of footprints that headed directly towards The Lost Scarecrow.

"Ah!" Allen cried out. "H-He went by himself!"

"Che. That stupid rabbit," Kanda shook his head as he walked up the front steps of The Lost Scarecrow. "I have a feeling we're not going to do well… Che. If we all get hurt, we're going to have to re-group and recover before wandering in blindly again. Understand?"

Allen nodded once. "Yeah."

Kanda frowned and opened the door, and the two stepped in when the door suddenly closed behind them, locking them in. Allen fussed with the door knob, and it would not budge. His eyes widened.

"W-We're locked in."

* * *

I just lost the game… Anyways! Hah hah! Did I get you with the first part? That was great. Anyways! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And not literally! I have two bruises from two people who threw them at me! Ow! I have bruises! XD But really, guys, thank you for all the reviews and favourites. It gives me inspiration to write. You guys are great. I'll see you all in ten! --K.S.


	11. Inn of Surprises

Whoops! I uploaded the wrong freaking chapter! I am so, so, so sorry!!! Anyways... Chapter 11 is here! 13 pages, 13 times of proofreading! XD Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I love all of you, believe it or not. Anyways! Let us commence forthwith with chapter 11 of 'Niveous Sky'! (Yes I did steal a line from DGM The Abridged Series. Sorry. XD)

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino. Your bean sprout is a mom and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

11. Inn of Surprises

The floors weren't too shabby for a so-called run-down place. It looked as if somebody had taken a rather good care of it. Granted, there were spider webs and occasionally holes in the floors, but it was way better than what Lavi had expected. It was cold within the rooms, the windows slightly broken with glass on the floor. It wasn't too bright within the building and definitely did not seem welcoming. Seymour followed him close behind, his eyes scanning around for anything strange. Lavi pulled the brooch out from his pocket. It was glowing a bright white, but it didn't seem like its brightest. Whatever this thing was reacting to, they were getting very close to it. The idea of it being the Innocence had crossed his mind, but it didn't sound quiet right…

"Hey, Seymour…" Lavi put the brooch back into his pocket. "Are you sure this building is over a hundred years old? It seems a lot younger than that…"

"I'm just telling you what I learned," Seymour replied, eyes darting around from place to place. "And I learned that this place is over one hundred years old. But you're right-- It definitely doesn't look that way, does it?"

"Mmm…" Lavi nodded as he opened a rickety looking door into the next room. He paused, slightly confused. There were books everywhere, scattered about, and they were all opened except for those that were on the shelves. Someone was either here recently or one hundred years ago somebody trashed the room. But why would an inn have a library? Most didn't have this many books… He gazed over them. Most were of poems and of the like, and the occasional history book, too. He stepped into the room, confused, and walked towards one of the book shelves, pulling out a green-covered book. The book shelf suddenly disappeared. Seymour, who was watching over his shoulder, blinked once in shock.

"Well, that was unexpected," Lavi commented. "Maybe this place is actually, I dunno, trickster place of some sort?"

He pulled out the brooch. It was glowing almost too brightly to the point of which it was vibrating. He used it as a flash light as he started walking down the stairs. Seymour hesitated, then followed behind when the book shelf went back into its place. They both stopped and walked back up. Lavi frowned.

"Uh, Lavi," Seymour's voice was shaky. "…There is no exit for this, is there?"

He didn't reply as he felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. Did they just wander into a trap? And if so, why would an inn have such a thing? Unless of course it was added to afterwards… But who would want to do that to an abandoned building that was left to rot? Whoever did this should have at least chosen a nice house, like Hagar's… Or what was left of Hagar's. Either way. He pulled out his hammer and made it grow before whamming it up against the door. No good. He grimaced, then made it bigger and whammed it again. Still nothing. They were sealed within a corridor with stairs that could lead to God knows where.

"Well… I guess there's no other way to go, huh?" Lavi grinned sheepishly before walking down the stairs. "But the good thing is that you have me with you, so if anything attacks us, I'll be able to kill it. Maybe." He grinned widely. "Job of an exorcist, you know?"

"Exorcist, huh?" Seymour rose an eyebrow. "What's an exorcist?"

And so, during their long trip down the set of stairs, Lavi explained what exorcists were, the Black Order, Akuma, and, of course, Innocence, then got into detail about the Noah as well. Seymour tried to take it all in the best he could as they finally hit the bottom of where the stairs led to. Lavi frowned. By his calculations, they were at least 200 feet deep, but those stairs went both up and down so he didn't know. The two walked down the long corridor, still talking.

"…and that's why I think this brooch is an Innocence," Lavi finished. "I know it's a lot, and I don't expect you to understand even half of it, but hey, I like to talk about a lot of things." He approached the door at the end of the corridor, his hands subconsciously gripping the handle of his hammer tighter. His hands reached for the door knob cautiously and opened the door, running into the room.

They were back where they had started from. The books were all scattered still, the floors still looked old, and the windows partially broken. He frowned, utterly confused. They were going straight the entire time and turned left only once, so how come they ended up back where they started? He looked at the brooch. It was pulsing.

"Lavi… This room… Isn't it where we started?" Seymour and Lavi pressed backs against one another, looking around. Something was off about the room, Lavi could feel it, but he couldn't pin-point what. Then it hit him, quite literally, and judging by the facial expression he had, so did Seymour. The books began to float, pages falling out of them, teeth forming where they once were. Lavi blinked once.

"Oh… Oh, _shit!" _he yelled. "Innocence, Level Two, activate!" The seals appeared around the hammer as he quickly hit the Fire Seal. The serpent came out, burning all of the books to ash. Not a book remained. Seymour's eyes were shocked wide, unmoving, as Lavi made the hammer shrink back down to normal size. He frowned, pocking up one of the half-burned pages. Books that could float and grow teeth? What in the seven hells was all that about? His thoughts were cut short when the page tried bite him on his hand. Seymour retaliated for him as he shot the page across the room.

"F-Floating books?" he stuttered, putting the gun back into its proper resting place. "T-This is insane! How can books float?"

Lavi looked down at the brooch in his left hand. The vibrating had stopped, but the glowing continued. His eyes shifted around the room. Whoever or whatever was controlling those books was here and they had left without him noticing. But where could they hide? And where the hell were they? Certainly they weren't in the same house… Were they? After all, he never once recalled turning around on that staircase. Or was that just an illusion to buy time to set up traps?

'_Shit. We walked right into a trap, and the trap is the house itself!'_

* * *

Not even Mugen could penetrate the door as Kanda frowned, scowling, and put the sword back into its sheath. Allen was right (for once), the door was locked, and whatever was keeping it locked prevented the door from being destroyed. The frown deepened as Allen looked at him with concerned eyes. For whatever reason, a gut feeling told him that the building was not all that it seemed. For whatever reason, part of him told him that The Lost Scarecrow was the…

"Kanda!" Allen broke up his thoughts, which caused him to want to skin the poor, pathetic excuse of an exorcist. "I was thinking, maybe we should stick together and try to find Lavi. Then we can figure out what has been killing of the people when they wandered in here. Okay?"

"Che." He didn't like the idea, but it sounded like the only smart thing to do. They had no idea what they were in for, so separating would have been a bad idea, and now they really couldn't afford to get injured because Miranda was not with them. "Fine. Just make sure you stay quiet and don't call the Baka Usagi out by name. We're probably not alone."

Allen nodded slowly as the two proceeded towards the first door that was right in front of them and opened it. Inside was two sets of stairs, one going up and one going down, but the stairs that went down seemed a lot… cleaner than the ones going up, with a lot less dust, not to mention that they were made of stone compared to the wood ones. They were added recently. Kanda frowned as he approached them, stepping on the first step cautiously. Nothing. He nodded at Allen as he stepped down two more steps, Allen about to follow him when the stairs suddenly lost shape and turned into a slippery ramp. Kanda did not comprehend anything at that moment as he slid down into the pitch darkness that greeted him below. Allen's eyes widened.

"K-Kanda!" he yelled, but the man was already gone. He took a step closer, inspecting it when a wall of bricks sealed it off. He gasped, taking that step back. It looked unbreakable. Unthinkingly, he started pounding on the bricks, trying to break it open so that he could go after him. "Kanda! Kanda! Damn it, break…" His fist pounded as hard as it could on the red bricks, which did nothing but make his fist start to bleed. "…open!"

He felt defeated as his hand slipped from the wall. If Mugen could not cut down a wooden door earlier, then he had a feeling Crown Clown could do nothing about a brick wall that came out of no where. Kanda was going to have to fend for himself. He turned to see the other set of stairs that looked like they were going to break if he dared to touch them. He shook his head. No, he couldn't dare to try it. He turned to head out when he saw the door that led back out into the first room was missing. What was going on with this house? He hesitated, feeling the wall for a way out, but there was none. It took a moment, but then it clicked.

'_The inn… is the Innocence!' _he thought with a gasp. _'But… this place seems so old for it to be the Innocence. Maybe all of the additions to it are to try to make it better? Or is all the old-looking things a disguise? If that's the case, then there is obviously someone here controlling it, and all those people who came in here were probably…'_

He dared to try to walk up the breakable-looking stairs and found they were more solid than they looked. He walked up to the second floor to find piles of dirt on the floor. They were big enough to cover a body. There were also house plants, most of which were white roses that also seemed to be growing on the walls, and a few pictures on the walls. He walked towards one of the dirt piles and examined it closely. He knew it. All of the graves had stars on them, and by the looks of it, there were twenty-one piles of dirt. Twenty-one Akuma, all of which trying to find the Innocence when the Innocence was the inn itself. They didn't even notice that. He saw a twenty-second body, one that wasn't buried yet, and gasped. It was Hagar. But he had saw him yesterday and he wasn't an Akuma, and by the looks of it, he still wasn't! But Lavi said he was working for the Earl. But how would the person controlling the house know?

And, speaking of which, _where _was the person controlling it?

* * *

He crashed, hard, into the ground face-first. It smelled of liquor and maybe even a hint of cigarette smoke. He stood up slowly, a little bit dazed. First, he was walking down the stairs, and then he found himself sliding to God knows where and ended up being in a cellar-like thing. There was a candle lit, swaying lightly to nothing, and it showed the place was a total mess. Bottles were scattered everywhere, glass and parchment mixed with one another, and there was blood. Lots and lots of blood. And by the smell of it, it all belonged to Akuma.

_Come closer. I want to get a look at your face before I kill you._

That made Kanda want to laugh at it, but he didn't. Instead, he stood his ground and did not budge. His eyes scanned around the room to see if there was any sign of disturbance, any sign of somebody moving, but there was none. It was all too quiet, and that did not do any good for Kanda's nerves, if he even had any. His hand grabbed Mugen's hilt as he heard a long, drawn-out sigh come from behind him.

_I said to come closer, did I not? You and all of your little friends all trespass into my territory-- I do not like it. I will kill you for doing so, and then you will never be able to trespass again, stranger! Such a terrible shame, though. _Kanda turned around, but there was no one there, only the shadows appearing from the candle. _You have an incredible pretty face. I wish I had one like that. _

"Come out and fight me," he growled, Mugen drawn. "I've been wanting to break someone's bones for a while now, and I don't care if you are the accommodator of this house or not. I will cut you in two."

_Accommodator? What in the bloody hell is that? Well, whatever. See you in the afterlife, pretty boy. _

The glass shards on the floor all lined up in the air, pointing towards him, and flew with swift agility like darts right at him. He jumped over most of them, except for the one that got him in the left shin of his leg, and they all connected to the opposite wall. He pulled the glass shard out of his leg and tossed it to one side before looking around to see what else was going to be coming after him. Nothing moved. The only sound to be heard was his own breathing.

Then creaks.

He didn't budge. If something was coming, he would be able to pin point its location within seconds if he just focused. The creaks grew louder as he grimaced. No, nothing was coming-- The room was collapsing in itself! The walls seemed to groan as the ceiling came crashing down, followed by the four walls, burying him alive. He grimaced, trying to push them off of him when he felt more weight pushing down onto him. At the rate it was going, he'd be crushed to death within the next thirty seconds.

_I can control this building at will, pretty boy. I can create and destroy rooms within it whenever I want, however I want, and I can create any item within the building as well. You had no idea what you were up against, did you, pretty boy? I didn't think do, given your current situation. Now, to mess with the one upstairs…_

'_The one upstairs?' _Kanda repeated in his head as the weight grew nearly unbearable, then his eyes widened. _'Oh, it means… Allen! Che! No way is it going to kill him! That's MY job! Like hell am I going to let that… happen… Urgh…'_

The room disappeared, Kanda along with it, and left nothing but an empty space to be filled later on.

* * *

Last time he checked, he had counted twenty doors on the first floor. Now there were only six. The building was changing rampantly. He looked at the brooch in his hands. The colour was a bright red with orange sparks, and the pulsing was intensifying. He waved over to Seymour to follow him as they opened the door to find nothing but a huge brick wall. It was courted off. He blinked, then noticed the pulsing stopped and was all one beat. He looked at it, confused.

"We should try another room?" Seymour suggested, shrugging and already heading to the next door.

Lavi took another look at the bricks, noticing whoever put them up did a crappy job because there was a small hole in it that looked like it was neglected on accident, and nodded. Whatever was in that room, it was probably important, but judging by how his hammer seemed rather ineffective within the building, he probably shouldn't even try. He walked over to the next door and opened it slowly, showing a set of stairs leading up and a brick wall. He frowned, then walked up the stairs and noticed a familiar-looking white-haired exorcist examining the graves. He immediately grinned. "Hey, Allen-chan!"

Allen's head rose and turned to see Lavi. "Lavi?"

"Hunh. This sure does bring back memories, back at Kuro-chan's castle. These all…" He dug one up, but frowned. "…are empty, but they have the stars, so they all contained Akuma?"

Allen nodded. "Yeah. I think whoever controls this building-- it's the Innocence, by the way --doesn't like the smell, so they put them back outside afterwards for whatever reason." He frowned. "I don't understand, though. Hagar is right over there and he wasn't an Akuma, but they killed him anyways…"

"Oh!" Lavi pulled out the brooch out from his pocket. "Seymour-- where'd he go? He's the guy from the bar, he's probably still coming upstairs --found this outside yesterday. Apparently it belonged to Hagar." He frowned at the colour. It was a dark blue and felt too cold for his liking. "But I think it's a part of the Innocence somehow. I don't know, though."

Allen paused, thinking for a moment, when his eyes widened. "Lavi!"

"Hunh?"

Allen launched himself towards him and pushed him out of the way, along with Seymour, when the rose vines started to disconnect from the wall, sharp thorns evident, and charged at Allen, snaring him tightly. The thorns stuck into him everywhere as they began to engulf him. Lavi's eyes widened.

"Allen!"

"D-Don't… it… will grab you, too…" he managed to say before the vines pulled him back into one of the walls. They wrapped around him tightly, making it so that he couldn't budge even a little bit. Lavi grinded his teeth together as he pulled out his hammer from his pocket and activated it. This was sort of like what happened when they had fought against that strange version of Tyki, only this time it was the plants themselves and they weren't even giving Allen a chance.

"Fire Sea--!" he started, but something knocked the hammer right out of his hands and onto the floor. He did a double-take before he noticed that the pictures on the walls had disconnected from the walls and off of the tables as well and were coming towards them. Seymour came up the stairs and pulled his gun out in desperation, but he was instead pushed down the stairs by one of them. His eyes widened, and Lavi called out and tried to grab him, but it was too late as he fell. It could be heard that something broke. Probably his neck. Lavi felt a sharp pang of something sad, almost regretful, as the pictures began to fly at him. Quickly, he grabbed the hammer off of the floor and blocked all of them.

_Impressive. I did not know little idiots like you had such capacity to fight. _

He stopped, looking around. Was he hearing things? His eyes shifted to Allen, who was being stabbed to death by the thorns. That was enough. "Fire Seal!"

The serpent came out once more as it headed towards Allen and the vines, but a wall of bricks came up around the British exorcist and sealed him away from it. Lavi's eyes widened as the flames did nothing. He ran towards the bricks and started pounding on them profusely. "Allen! Allen! Can you hear me? I'm gonna get you out of there, I promise! Just hold on, okay?!"

There was a chuckle._ You can't make promises you can't keep. Besides, I already did one, no, two of you in, and you really think you can try to save him as well? Ha! I'd love to see you try._

"T-Two of us…?" Lavi did not understand. Allen was still alive, barely. So far, the only death was Seymour from the bar, and that was still questionable. He could have still been alive. Did it mean Allen? But, anyways, who was the second…? "You don't mean… Y-Yuu-chan! Yeah fucking right, Yuu is too stubborn to die!"

_Oh yeah? Then explain this._

The ceiling opened up a little hole as Kanda fell through and hit the floor, hard. Lavi couldn't believe it. A pool of blood formed around the slightly crushed exorcist as Mugen came in after him, falling to the floor. They were all doomed, by the looks of it.

"Yuu-chan!" Lavi called out, and the man stiffened by the sound of his own name. Lavi rushed over, eyes wide with surprise. "Are you okay? That crazy voice sounding thing just told me that it killed you, and Allen-chan is… He's being devoured by vines and now I don't know what to do! You've got to help us!"

Kanda grunted, hand extending and grabbing Mugen. "Che."

_Impressive! You're still alive, even though I practically crushed you half to death. Well, at least I'll be able to get the other one if nothing else, and then I'll get you two later. _

"Shut up." He stood up, staring at the brick walls that encased Allen. "Shut the fuck up. Who told you that you were allowed to kill Moyashi? That's…" He lifted it above his head, frowning. "…my job. Ichigen!"

_Yeah, yeah. Try all you want, it's never going to w-- _The spirit bugs cut right through the bricks, revealing a half-dead Allen with the vines practically choking him. Lavi hit the Fire Seal in time before the person could create a wall of bricks again and burned all the vines. Allen slumped over, blood seeping through his clothes. Kanda grabbed him and looked at Lavi.

"We're going to need to find this person, fast."

Lavi nodded in agreement when the floor seemed to disappear from underneath him. His eyes widened as he fell down, down, down, but Kanda did not see if he had landed because it sealed back in. He grimaced. Lavi was probably going to go through hell in less than ten seconds, but he had his own problems. The remaining vines looked at him hungrily, the thorns dripping with blood. It was more than likely Allen's. He looked to his left and saw a door already open. He sprinted and slammed the door shut, the sound of the vines hitting the door being more satisfying than he had thought.

Now what?

He sighed, noticing the room was practically empty and was probably just an afterthought that the person created. He put Allen down and sat down, trying to recover. His arms were recovering quickly, but they still hurt at the time. It was quiet within the room, which was nice, because he was starting to get really sick of that pestering voice that kept on talking. It probably only talked to hear its own voice. The person was more than likely a male, then, probably in his twenties or thirties. How annoying. He glanced over to Allen, whose eyebrows were furrowing together. He was going to wake up soon. Good.

"Nnfg…" His eyes snapped open, almost completely lost. Everything throbbed in pain as he sat up, looking at Kanda. "…Hi?"

"Che. You got hurt at a perfect time. Now the Baka Usagi is missing and I think he's going to get hurt pretty bad, and I got half-crushed to death and now you're bleeding all over the place. 'Hi' is probably the last thing you should say right now."

"Oh… kay…?"

Kanda said nothing as he stood up, frowning. They needed to find Lavi and get the hell out of there. They knew what they were up against now, so if they just retreated temporarily and healed up, they would be able to find the accommodator in no time and convince him to lay off and come back to the Order. That was always how it went down. He frowned. He also wanted to find that Akuma, too. The one that was back at that town several days ago. If it were trying to find the Innocence, it would probably end up here eventually. Kill two birds with one stone. Yippee.

Allen winced, trying to stand up but couldn't. His body was screaming in objection to it, but he needed to move. He just had to-- Lavi was in danger, and he didn't want another one of his friends' life in danger. He grimaced, forcing himself up and wincing again. There was no way he was going to be able to do anything, but he had to try. "Let's go," he said as he practically limped towards the next door. Kanda frowned, and though he hated the thought that was going through his mind, it seemed like the only smart thing to do. He picked Allen up in a basic piggy-back fashion and opened the door, trying to ignore the expression of shock on Allen's face.

"Kanda…? I know you have been acting strange, but this is… You… First you call me by name, and now…"

"Shut up." Kanda said, walking into the next room. "I don't know myself. Okay? So shut up."

Allen didn't want to. "But, Kanda--"

"You were the one who called me by my name first," Kanda interrupted. "And… I don't know. Che." He walked towards the set of stairs that led downwards and started walking on them back to the first floor. "I think my mind just would rather call you Allen than Moyashi. And this is just for the sake of being safe. If I leave you behind--"

"But you would have never minded leaving me behind before--"

"--then I will never hear the end of it from Lenalee--"

"-- you never cared about other people's opinions, either--"

"--and I might miss picking on you--"

"--and-- What?!"

Kanda said nothing as he put Allen down, eyebrows furrowing. What in the fuck was that? Why did he even say that? He would be glad when Allen turned into the Fourteenth so that he could kill him finally. Miss him? Never in a million years. _Never_. Something in his chest tightened, as if it objected to Kanda's thoughts. He ignored it as he looked around the room, trying to act normal, then finally said something of it that sounded half-way right at the current moment in time. "Forget that last one, I don't even know where the hell that one came from, so just ignore me, okay? We need to find the Baka Usagi. Can you walk? I don't want to carry you any long-- Allen?"

There was a dark red blush on his face, his eyes looking downward, biting his lower lip. He didn't look up when Kanda said his name. The Japanese exorcist frowned. He still couldn't believe what he had said, and now Allen was _blushing_ because of it. Why? First the entire dream thing, and now this? He scowled at the younger boy before opening a door and finding it blocked by bricks. He frowned, then pulled Mugen out and cut right through it. Lavi laid still, eyes squeezed shut, looking sick.

"Yuu-chan… Get… out of here…" he whispered. "I can't move… The room… spinning… And Seymour… He's… okay… He's… a friend…"

The moron always seemed to get sick at the worst possible time. He also saw the man named Seymour, who was bending over and trying to help Lavi up, and frowned. Seymour gave him a hesitant smile before looking around the room. "I fell," he explained, "from the stairs afterwards. It was as if the floor wasn't even there… And then I found him like this…"

Allen came out from behind Kanda and saw the scene.

Immediately, his eye reacted.

'_What?!' _Allen blinked once and saw the soul of somebody bound to the man called Seymour standing out to his eyes. Kanda looked at Allen and realized immediately what that meant. Allen quickly activated his Innocence, Crown Clown. "Lavi! Move!"

Seymour frowned as Lavi looked up, seeing the soul as well. _'Right. Allen's eye… I can see it, too. But… I thought… Damn, I let my guard down! I should have known-- I depend on Allen's eye too much!'_

"It's too late." Seymour's voice drastically changed as Kanda immediately recognized the Akuma. The long arms were a dead give-away as they reached out, fully extended, towards Allen. "You fucking exorcists, _I'll kill each of you!"_

"Moyashi--!" Kanda called out, but Allen was shoved through several walls and back into the room where the piles of dirt were. The vines, the ones that were supposed to be burned, grabbed the lying exorcist and pinned him to the wall. The Akuma grinned widely. Kanda pulled Mugen out, glare evident, as he charged. This Akuma had caused him the most problems ever. He was going to kill it himself, get Allen, find the accommodator, and then they could go home.

Though, he knew it wasn't going to be just that easy.

The Akuma blocked his weapon and tossed it aside as if it were a present it didn't want. It laughed as Kanda scowled before it broke out through the wall easily and headed out into town. The screams could be heard already. Kanda felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. No. Not again. He absolutely could not repeat the same mistake he did last time. He started to run after it when the high, raspy voice of the person he despised more than anything called out.

"…K-K…anda…"

He hesitated, growled, picked up Mugen and cut right through the plants. Allen gasped, taking in deep breathes to recover as Lavi staggered in, using the wall as his support.

"Is it too late for me to ask if we're screwed?"

The Japanese man didn't respond as he jumped out of the hole the Akuma had created and ran after it in great haste. Bodies were starting to line the streets, and the screams were only getting louder. Déjà vu version number one.

Allen groaned, holding Crown Clown with a steady hand. "Lavi. If we jump, I'll put you back in the inn and you can go check on Miranda for me. After that, stay where you are, and Kanda and I will go out and fight the Akuma. If we beat him, we can make plans for how we're going to deal with accommodator."

The redhead nodded in agreement, almost too tired and ill to say anything. Allen supported him as the two jumped out of the hole as well, landing with ease. They walked as they heard the high-pitched, girlish screams come from every direction, and yet neither could quite do anything about it. They approached the inn, noticed it was mostly empty, and walked up the looming set of stairs that stood before them. Allen left Lavi in the room with Miranda before opening the window and frowning heavily. The screams had died down, but that could only mean something bad. Lavi frowned. "Allen… I know you are still bleeding. Don't push yourself for Yuu-chan's sake, even if you do like him."

He nodded once before leaping out and landing rather awkwardly onto the ground. People were hiding in buildings as the dead laid still and polluting the snow with red stains. Clouds built up around the town as cold rain, frozen rain, began to pelt everything. It stung at his face, but that did not hinder him any as he followed a familiar set of footsteps. Kanda's footsteps. There was harsh yelling as he got closer, and the sound of swords clashing. Then silence. He paused. There should have been more noise than that. There should have been a 'Che' or something like as a result. But there wasn't. Kanda should have come walking towards him with a scowl and a nod to confirm the job was done. But he never came. He drew closer to see a dead civilian-- a little boy, probably only eleven or twelve --bleeding on the white snow, and a shape-changing Akuma that was laughing hysterically.

There was still no sign of Kanda.

"Level _threeeeeee!" _The pitch of the Akuma's voice could not have been any higher as Allen clamped his hands over his ears. It was a combination of a scream and a train whistle amplified times ten, along with an addition of a cat being run over by a wheelbarrow. It was almost unbearable. "Now, to kill all of your fellow exorcists! _Fwahahahaha!"_

It moved a little to reveal Kanda, still conscious, bleeding profusely and twitching lightly. Until his wounds recovered, he could not do a damn thing. Allen stared at him, eyes wide, not comprehending. The Akuma had just taken pleasure in hurting Kanda. It did. It was even laughing.

Unforgivable.

The Akuma fully changed, its form just like the usual level threes, and looked at Allen, unsurprised. It did not speak. It seemed as if it couldn't quite yet, as if it were obtaining more knowledge of some sort. Allen didn't care. He didn't care about the soul, he didn't care about the possibility that Lavi and Miranda could die, didn't care that the accommodator was more than likely going to be targeted soon. He just didn't give a damn anymore. It had made Kanda bleed. Rage seeped out into the open to the point of which one could almost taste it. He didn't understand _why_ he was getting so angry, he just knew that it was there. He wanted to kill it. He wanted to take that Akuma and severe its little head until it was undistinguishable.

"…Exorcist…"

He took one step forward, the sleet pouring down upon them, the crunch of the snow beneath his feet all but forgotten as the thickening rage overcame him. It took all of three seconds for Allen to finally understand what he was going to do. Did he care? No.

Two launches from opposite sides.

Two intentions to kill.

One word.

"_Akuma!"_

* * *

Okay, that did not go quite as I had planned it. Wow. Uh. Well, anyways, this chapter was uber-epically long. And, wow, thank you guys so much for putting up with this. Allen is starting to scare me. XD So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It's so very much appreciated! Yatta! I'll see you all in 12! --K.S.


	12. Lack of a Brain and There Will be Pain

Wow! Chapter 12! Nice to see that I freaking forgot to update on Friday, but hey… Anyways. Do you know how hard it is to get out water when ice breaks on you? Really difficult. (Foreshadowing…?) And thank you guys so much for the blessed reviews you gave me (especially Sora pwns =3) and the favourites. You guys rock! So! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 12 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: -Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release, mind slave!

* * *

12. Lack of a Brain and There Will be Pain

Anger.

Hate, hate, hate. That was all that was crossing his mind as Crown Clown seemed to look sharper. The rain that pelted upon them seemed to fall harder, the snow beneath him seemed to be much louder as if crunched beneath his boots, and the imagery within itself seemed brighter, even if it was just a blur. Miss after miss, swing after swing, the poor boy found himself unable to control his impulses as he chased down the Akuma in the forest, far from where they originally were fighting. As time progressed, he grew more tired and sluggish, but even then he kept at it. It wasn't just for Kanda's sake now, it was for his own, it was for all those people back there. It was for everyone who had died because of this thing, and for how unfair they died as well. Besides, he had taken the burden upon himself. Part of him thought that because of him, the Akuma got away.

"_The hell, Moyashi?! Our job is supposed to kill the Akuma, not to let them get away!"_

A grimace formed on his face. Kanda's words, though true, had a bitter taste to them.

Trees were knocked over as the fight almost got towards a lake, one that neither knew of. It was frozen, of course, and the banks that were once rocks were covered with slippery ice patches. It would have been a pretty sight if Allen were actually paying attention, but at the moment he had bigger things to deal with. Crown Clown clashed with the Akuma's arm once more, a sharp, ringing noise being the result. It echoed across the lake as the two continued on, stepping onto the frozen substance and trying to kill one another. Allen tried not to slip as he took in heavier and heavier breathes, noticing that his world was shifting ever so slightly. Things were starting to lose shape. The Akuma laughed loudly as it managed to cut his arm open. He winced, but ignored it otherwise, when a coughing fit took over that he did not have earlier. It caused him to stop moving, leaving the Akuma a wide open opportunity to nail him back into the rocks.

"_Fwehehehehe!" _it roared with laughter once more. "Haven't you noticed my ability yet, Exorcist?! I can make people come down with illnesses that last for practically an eternity! I infected one of you already last time, the one with the hammer! Fwehehehehe!" It came closer as Allen took in a shallow breath. "He should be feeling it rather nicely, don't you think?! Fwehehehe! And now you'll know how it feels once I crush you in an instant!"

'_Wait a minute… that means… Lavi…!'_

Faster than he could comprehend, it moved and was right in front of him. One arm came down and pushed him harder into the rocks, causing it to be a deep hole. Blood started to form on the corner of the boy's mouth as it got around behind him and kicked him back out onto the ice. He skidded across the lake where the ice was rather thick and winced heavily, trying to find the missing Crown Clown. It had skidded a little bit further in front of him, the handle not quite within his grasp. His right hand desperately reached for it, trying to inch a little bit closer as the laughter came rapidly closer towards him. He knew if he didn't grab the sword quick, it would be all over.

"_Die, Exorcist!" _

His fingers felt as if they grew just a hair longer as he swiped up Crown Clown and, in a moment's notice, managed to block the attack with superb strength that he thought he had lost. He thought he heard something crack, and at first he thought it was the Akuma itself, but there was no more than a single scratch on it. And it definitely wasn't Crown Clown… The cracking noise stopped when the ice broke beneath him, causing both him and the Akuma to fall into the water. It was beyond freezing cold as his eyes widened and noticed that, even under water, that the Akuma was still attacking him. He had to attack at the right moment, but when? There were no openings as he blocked once more, wanting to get to where the air was, and finally just winged it.

'_Fwehehehe-- Heh?' _It blinked once, utterly confused. _'Wh-Where'd he go?!'_

Crown Clown stuck out of its chest, and, without hesitation, cut it in two. It screamed, but it was muted by the water. In its final seconds, it looked at Allen and kicked him, hard, with all the strength it had left before it faded away into nothingness, the soul cleansed. Allen was sent deeper into the cold water and almost touched the bottom of the lake. Fish looked at him strangely as he deactivated his Innocence, wincing. He still felt woozy, even though the Akuma was dead, as he desperately started swimming back up towards the surface. He needed air and he was freezing to death. He drew closer when something alarming came to his attention-- The ice had reformed back together.

His hands pressed up against the ice, feeling the chill in his fingers, as he pounded furiously at it. The ice was several inches thick, probably seven, and his fists could not do a damn thing about it. He activated Crown Clown quickly and started beating on the ice, trying to break at least a crack in it. It formed a small one, but one none the less, as he mustered all of his strength and punched through it. It stuck up into the air and made more cracks in the ice that became easy to break and finally broke through to get some air. He breathed heavily, gasping, and tried to pull himself out but couldn't find the arm strength to do it. He shivered and looked around, keeping his head above the water. He was a far way away from where they had started their scuffle. Kanda and the others, because of the snow/rainfall, would not be able to follow his footprints. He shivered again, once more trying to pull himself out of the water. His arms were shaking so bad that he couldn't.

_Now_ things were getting bad.

He coughed loudly as the shivers grew worse. He couldn't determine whether the Akuma's ability was still affecting him or if he was starting to come down with hypothermia. Either way, his lips were trembling as his teeth chattered together. He had to get out of there, he just had to, but with his strength dwindling could he really do anything? An idea hit him.

'_Crown Clown's Belt!' _he thought. _'I can use that to drag myself out of the water and then I can head back to see how everyone else is doing!'_

Quickly, as his lips trembled harder, he activated his Innocence and held Crown Clown steadily before throwing the belt at one of the trees that was within range. It latched on for a quick second and he tugged at it to get out, but it slipped off. His eyes widened as the answer of why that was pelted him in the face. The rain was frozen, and everything it touched became as slick as ice. Everything was slippery. Hope seem to dwindle from his eyes as he knew this was worse than he had anticipated. It had taken a lot of energy to go through that inn, fight the Akuma, swim back to the surface and break through the ice that had once nearly tried to kill him. Now, the source of all life could be the end of him. He didn't know how much longer he could stay in the water, he just knew it wasn't long. What options did he have left?

"W-W-W… Wha… I-I'm… g-g-g…gonna… d…d-d… die… a-and…" He couldn't take it anymore as he tried one last time, but could not get out of the water. "I-I can't d-die… I-I-I've… g-got to… I've g-g-got t-to… m-make sure… everyone… … o-okay… …"

The only last thing that was heard in the area of the lake was the pelting ice upon the already-frozen trees and rocks, and a sole cry of someone yelling, but that was no more than a faint distant memory as the world suddenly lost shape into a white and black world of nothingness.

* * *

"Che! That Baka Moyashi lost his mind, fighting a level three by himself!"

"Well, Yuu-chan, he _is_ always reckless… You know that, I know that… Hell, everyone knows that! And are you _sure_ you are okay? Your arm has yet to stop bleeding and I'm getting worried that your just playing tough 'cause you don't wanna 'lose' another exorcist on this mission…" A frown was tugging at the redhead's lips, making him look more idiotic than normal. "I… I know it was partially my fault, 'cause I trusted Seymour and gave me…" He pulled the brooch out, and the further they walked away from the town, the darker shade of blue it grew. "…something that was a clue to the Innocence, but maybe he was just rather stupid and didn't know what to do with it…" He cupped his hands around his mouth before yelling, "Allen! Where are you?!"

Nothing answered him but the rain and the distant sound of a bird calling. He frowned as he walked ahead of Kanda who had an even deeper scowl than Lavi thought was possible. They walked in silence a little while longer as it grew darker with each passing minute. Lavi frowned. Was the sun setting already? It was cold and clammy enough with the rain and snow, but now it was turning to night… And they were in the woods… It grew more quiet as the rain finally tapered to snow and fell gently down. It was as pretty as a picture, though that wasn't what they needed to focus on right now.

"Oi, Baka Usagi."

"Hunh? What is it?"

Kanda pointed up towards the sky. "Che. I know you can fly with that Innocence of yours. Go up and see if there is anything ahead of us."

He stared at him a little longer before nodding and pulling out the tiny hammer from his pocket. "Time Shifting Hammer!" he yelled, placing the head of it on the ground. The base immediately grew ten sizes larger as he yelled, "Extend!"

The handle grew and Lavi held onto it tightly, breaking through tree branches until he reached above the tree line. He looked around and blinked, focusing in on something close by. "Yuu-chan! There's a lake near here! By my guess, less than half a mile away! Keep heading straight and we'll get there!"

At that, Kanda started sprinting off further, Lavi following behind him. They started to notice rather faint scuffle marks as they got closer and they picked up the pace. Lavi felt a lump develop in his throat. Even though it was winter, ice was very easy to break, and at the rate they were going, no doubt did he…

"Che. Baka Usagi, why are you even here? Don't you feel sick?"

"Hunh? Oh, no, not anymore," he said while jumping over a fallen tree. "I thought I heard fighting going on, so I checked to make sure Mir-Mir-chan was still in the same place, which she was, before I came after you two. Hey…" He looked at Kanda's arm, unblinking. "It… healed? But, not a few minutes ago, it was bleeding…"

Kanda didn't respond as he rushed on ahead. Lavi felt slightly betrayed by this. Kanda was one of the strongest exorcists to exist, and he couldn't even catch up. Or at least that was how he felt. He pouted a little to himself before slowing to a stop behind Kanda. The entire shore was covered in ice and was being covered by more of the slippery substance by the second. Lavi gulped. If they made one mistake, they could very well fall into the water and be doomed. He looked around and scanned the area of the lake and squinted when he thought he saw something. Sticking into the ice was Crown Clown, and around the sword was the belt which held a very exorcist's head and shoulders above the water. By the looks of it, he was still struggling to get out, but he didn't look like he was going to keep it up at the rate he was going. His very lips looked bluer than his eyes.

"Yuu-chan, there!" he yelled, pointing to the place where Allen was trying to get out.

Kanda squinted (which Lavi did not have to do, strangely enough) to see the sword and the boy himself and grunted. "Che. If he's stupid enough to get stuck in the lake, then maybe he deserves to die. Let's leave him there."

"Yuu-chan--!"

Kanda glared at Lavi that translated to 'You really fucking fell for that? I was fucking joking, Baka Usagi', and cautiously stepped onto one of the ice-covered rocks. If he could get to the lake, then that would be fine, because he could just skate across with ease. The rocks, however, were a different story. If he screwed up here, he would fall and break the ice beneath him. When his foot slipped, he frowned and turned to Lavi with the look of disgust on his face. Lavi swallowed hard. Allen's incompetence put him in a bad mood, once again… "Che. Extend your hammer so that I can get to the lake and pull that bastard of a bean sprout out of the water without slipping on these damn rocks."

The redhead nodded as Kanda grabbed onto the handle. It extended enough to get him down to the ice-covered water. He touched down and let go of it, skating across the ice with ease towards the idiot named Allen. He frowned. How did the moron get stuck in the water in the first place? Couldn't he have just pulled himself out and gone back to the inn? It certainly would have made his life a lot easier than it was right now. He 'che'd' silently as he approached the hole in the ice. The frown deepened. Allen's eyes were opening and closing slowly. He was losing consciousness, once again.

'_All right, I lied-- This kid is not as harmless as a bag of kittens,' _he thought before assessing how to get him out without falling himself. _'He's as harmless as a plate of fucking soba noodles that are about to be cooked! Che! And he's almost as useless as Lenalee with her legs messed up, but at least she knows when to leave me alone and not do anything stupid!'_

He eased himself closer as he grabbed Crown Clown and, carefully, pulled it out of the ice and dragged it with him. Allen was slowly pulled out of the water and onto the ice, his body colder than Kanda's glare. The snow was letting up as the day grew darker, but the Japanese exorcist didn't seem to care as he began to pick up the frozen exorcist. Immediately his hand reared back as his eyes widened. He was too damn cold! He grunted and picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder before grabbing Crown Clown as it started to deactivate. The idiot passed out. Go figure.

"Che. Why am I always the one saving you?" he asked, but there was not answer. Even he couldn't come up with one aside from the fact that everyone seemed so damn incompetent on this mission that it made him sick. Miranda was starting to become okay, but then she had to do that entire paralysis thing. Lavi was annoying to begin with, but then he got sick which made him even more annoying than usual, and now Allen, who was bleeding earlier, was freezing to death. He groaned to himself as he skated across the lake back towards where Lavi was and sighed. "Che. I got him. Help me up."

The handle came down as Kanda grasped onto it tightly and felt it pull up to where Lavi was standing, the silly grin on his face almost more than enough to punch him. It didn't seem possible, but the urge to hit him was almost as great as when the Baka Usagi was drunk in London, England, and almost got killed as a result of that. He had to refrain for now, though, because they needed to get the stupid bean sprout back to the inn and recover. They started to walk back slowly as it became nightfall and the clouds seemed to fade away with the last shred of what little light there was left. It was cold again, almost as cold as the previous night, but not quite yet. It was probably still only the afternoon, no doubt, considering Sweden's strange sun system… It took them less than an hour to get back to the town, where people were crying and mourning. Kanda frowned.

'Oh, right… The Akuma killed a lot of civilians… Che,' he thought as he passed them by. Lavi followed close behind before one person looked up and noticed them.

"You! You three are the reason for why this monster attacked, aren't you?!" His voice was as shrill as a mouse and a hawk. The anger in his eyes reminded Lavi of Chaoji when he was yelling at Allen about saving one of the Noah. "You _murderers! _Because of you, my wife and child are dead, and you are just walking like you didn't do anything wrong! Like you are completely innocent! _Unforgivable!"_

Several people of the crowd backed him up while the rest resumed on crying. Kanda ignored them, as he usually did, and opened the front door of the inn. The man from behind the desk was there, giving them a look of sadness. "Sorry, strangers," he said, "but the town is in mourning for their losses. I know well that you didn't intend on doing so, but they pin you to the murders. Even so…" he looked out the window and gazed for a moment before continuing. "…please do save our town. The woman who is your companion has yet to change out of the position she was in earlier. I'm sorry about that. Would you like some food to eat?"

Lavi nodded but Kanda just continued walking upstairs. The man watched him do so and whispered, "He doesn't talk much, does he?"

"If he does, then he's generally yelling," Lavi grinned.

"Ah. So what will it be?"

Kanda could no longer hear them as he reached the second floor and opened the door to their room, frowning. It wasn't as cold as he thought it was going to be, which was fine, because the idiot needed to be warm. He laid Allen down onto the bed and put two of his fingers against the boy's neck. He was still breathing. At least he was competent enough to do that… However, the skin felt rather cold to the touch. How was he supposed to get him warm again? It wasn't like he cared, it was more of a strategy thing, because three was better than two.

'_Che. I'm losing my mind,' _he thought as he tossed several blankets on him and called it good before sitting on the floor and sighing. This mission was becoming more and more of a drag, and the worst part of it all was that he didn't get to kill the Akuma himself. Unless of course Allen didn't kill it, but that he doubted, because he would have been a pile of dust right about now otherwise. His head hit the back of the wall a little harder than he intended, causing him to curse, but ignored the tiny throb anyways. What were they going to do now? Since the Akuma was taken cared of, the only thing left to do was handle the Innocence and the bastard of the accommodator, whoever it was. He closed his eyes and groaned. He was going to have to check the lotus again pretty soon, that was for certain, given the amount of damage he had taken…

His mind wandered to a variety of topics, like what kind of food he was going to have when he got back. He frowned. Food… He was hungry, but knowing the Baka Usagi, he would come through that door at any second now with something to give him in his hands. Leave to the bunny-rabbit to be the best at finding food… And the bean sprout to freeze to death… He grimaced, his face turning into a look of disgust, when Lavi came through the door, grinning widely. "Hungry, Yuu-chan?" He glanced over to Allen. "How is he? Will he make it?"

"Still cold. Che. He better fucking make it or I'll kill him."

"But… he'll already be dead, Yuu-chan."

"Che."

The apprentice Bookman frowned as he put some food in front of Kanda before walking over to Allen and sitting down on the bed next to him. His hand rested on the boy's forehead as his frown deepened. "Cold? He's freezing half to death… Hunh. I guess I'll hafta sleep next to him tonight and make sure he doesn't freeze completely. 'Less of course _you_ want to sleep next to him, Yuu-chan."

"Like _hell_. Suggest that again and I'll cut you in two."

'_Well, it's gonna take time, of course,' _Lavi though as he hefted the British exorcist towards him. He wrapped his arms around his waist and made sure that he was still breathing before bringing the covers on top of both of them. _'If Allen even wants a shot of winning Yuu-chan over, he's gonna hafta prove that he's worth the time to put up with… or something like that… And since they're both space cadets at this sort of thing, that could take centuries…' _He sighed. _'I'm definitely gonna hafta get involved, but the question is, would Allen hate me for it? Well… What do I have to lose?'_

He thought of it a moment longer before he grinned eerily at Kanda. "Are ya sure? There's plenty of Allen to go around, so don't hesitate if you wanna cu--"

The drawing of Mugen was more than enough to shut him up as Lavi shrunk back into almost the fetal position. If Allen wasn't resting his head on his chest, he would have successfully done so. But for whatever reason, he wasn't quite so afraid of Yuu right then, mostly because he was entering teasing mode. "I'm sure Allen-chan wouldn't mind if you hugged him and made him feel all nice and warm!" There was a deadly snarling sound, one that _did _make Lavi feel afraid, but he didn't stop. "See? You're in the Nile, also known as De-Nile. Get it? Denial and De-Nile?" Kanda rose to his feet, but Lavi just had to get one more jab in before he knew he had to stop. "Awww, you're just jealous because I have Allen all to myself and you want some… How cute!"

The twitching became uncontrollable as Kanda stared at the redhead, his upper lip doing most of the action. He was going to kill him. He was going to kill him and put his head on a stake for the world to see, and underneath the head was going to be a sign saying, "This is what happens when you are stupid." It was going to be so very sweet. So very, very, _very_ sweet. He was about to kill him when the golden golem known as Timcanpy flew in front of his face and bit his nose, which caused a violent reaction of punching and swearing. Lavi just laughed as it went on.

After about half an hour of yelling (or something like that), he finally calmed down and laid on the other bed, completely still. He was exhausted and didn't want to move, didn't want to think. Though he could keep his body in check, his thoughts he could not. This was going to be another sleepless night, even though he was exhausted. Lavi glanced over at him as the man groaned accidentally. This was definitely _not_ his month. He sat up and took off his boots before spotting Lavi watching him. "Che. What the hell do you want?"

"Y'sure you don't want him? I'm getting really cold and I don't know how much more I can take," he whined. "I mean, I want him to get better and all, but I just got better and I don't wanna get sick again, so why don't you take him for a change?"

'_NO.' _His thoughts boomed, but he forgot to say it out loud, which got the apprentice Bookman curious.

"Oh? Why the hesitation for an answer, Yuu-chan?" His eyebrow raised a little. "What, are you too _nervous _to say that you wanna cuddle with him for a change? How very out of character for you!"

"If I weren't half-asleep, I would beat you upside the head with a frying pan until you are brain damaged," he retaliated. "Oh wait, that won't be necessary-- You don't have a brain."

"Ouch! A direct hit!" Lavi feigned an injury on his chest, a little bit above his heart, because Allen was sleeping where his heart was. "Yuu-chan is on a roll for insulting people today! But, that's beside the point… Tomorrow, we're gonna go defeat the accommodator until they're willing to listen, right? And since Allen is the best at negotiating, I think, we need him with us. So do you wanna help out or not? 'Cause we'll be here longer if he doesn't wake up tomorrow."

The long silence indicated that Kanda was no longer listening, or rather, pretend he wasn't listening. Lavi sighed. Why were these two so difficult?

And what the hell was going to happen tomorrow when Allen did wake up? Was he going to tell Kanda? Or was he going to just see what happens? Should he really get involved?

"Fuck no," Kanda finally answered, and then fell asleep. Lavi frowned as an hour passed and the man was sleeping soundly.

"Allen-chan loves you, you know," he whispered before tightening his grip around the not-quite-so-frozen-exorcist and falling asleep himself.

What the hell was going to happen tomorrow, indeed…

* * *

Shortness is short! Urgh, nine pages, but I couldn't think of any other way to write this one… So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It is very much appreciated! I'll see you all in, Oh God, 13! Is it really that far in already? Hot damn! Well, see you then! --K.S.


	13. Restless Demon

Today was a snow day, and for those who don't know what that means, it means it snowed at least twelve inches here where I am, and I had no school. So you know what that means? More DGM Fanfiction to rot your brain with! XD (It's still snowing like crazy-- I am viewing it from my living room window! Pretty…) Anyways! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 13 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release, mind slave!

* * *

13. Restless Demon

It was a blizzard that night, the entire town was frozen in, a grand total of sixteen inches piled up in front of each door. In the morning, it was still snowing, and no one within the town liked it anymore. There was nothing but white, white, white… And it was driving most to insanity along with some pneumonia. Although, the way it bothered the four exorcists… It didn't. None of them were awake at that time, for it was only seven o'clock, and they laid perfectly still in their beds, happy and content, with the exclusion of Miranda, who was still paralyzed, Allen, who was still freezing to death and might have also been getting pneumonia, and Kanda, who was just pissed off to begin with, even in his sleep. The only one really happy was Lavi, and he was an exception.

The inn (the Innocence, as Allen had found out) looked worse than normal. Inside, a person breathed quietly and cursing silently while they picked thorns out of their arms. There was a small laugh that grew louder to the person's dismay, and in an instant the room collapsed on top of them, killing the person instantly. The laughter seemed to echo slowly into the street, but it was silenced by the padding of the snow, and then it was not heard from again during the course of the early morning hours. Unfortunately, for the accommodator, less and less people have been coming inside, and with all of the snow, the building was going to collapse at any second without warning. They had tried to build reinforcements on the ceiling, but no matter what they did, the reinforcements crumbled away. The power within the inn was fading.

'_It's all their fault,' _the accommodator thought, walking through the building and making sure no new cracks were forming. _'All of those stupid bloody brats who came in yesterday… They messed me and my house up pretty bad, and now I can barely do anything about it. What did they call themselves? Exorcists?' _It laid a patch over a new crack that was letting a tiny bit of snow in and frowned, eyes narrowing in pure rage. _'I don't care if they are exorcists or demons, I'll kill them all until they just leave me alone, with the occasional dumb-ass to wander in to keep me entertained.' _It sighed, then glanced out of a shattered window and grinned a small grin. _'They'll be coming back soon. I can just feel it. In that case, I best make preparations for their arrival.'_

* * *

'_Help… I can't… wake… my eyes, they…'_

Mirrors stood before him, person after person that he knew within them, all of which were frozen in time until he blinked, causing them to move again. Lenalee, the poor girl, was in the first one, her eyes streamed with tears and one of her hands on the glass. She was trying to get out. Allen couldn't help it as he found himself trying to break her free, trying to wipe that horrible expression of fear and loneliness on her face, when blood started to form at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she started to melt into a pile of gore. Blood filled the becoming-empty mirror, her eyeballs on top and the rest of her melting together. Allen took three steps back out of shock, trying not to throw up. It was the same for every mirror. Every time he tried to help someone-- Lavi, Miranda, Link, Bak, Reever, Johnny, Komui, and the others --they all just melted into a pile of innards and mixed with their own blood. Pretty soon the plane he was on was nothing but red, nothing but blood of everyone he knew and loved.

And shortly there after, the mirrors started to break, and screams came with them. Screams of agony. Screams of when each of those people were in their mirrors, dying, choking, melting. Allen covered his ears, holding back his own scream, as he tried to get away from their. Shards began to mix as it seemed to use the blood as the paste for putting them all back together again, but Allen didn't even notice. He ran until he reached something that looked like an alter. One person stood their with a sword in their hands, with that same familiar expression on his face.

It was Kanda.

Slightly relieved, Allen started to walk towards him with his hands still over his ears, but found that his legs were stuck on the spot. Leftover shards, the ones that the blood-and-glass-combination did not need, held him to the spot in front of the alter. He couldn't budge. He couldn't say a word. Needless to say, he was helpless. He watched in horror as the shards and the blood formed in front of him and formed a mirror of its own before him, one made of his friends' blood and screams, and rested straight up on the alter. The Fourteenth's shadow grinned at him. He said something Allen couldn't catch, but somehow, he was able to read his lips:

"_There is no more hope. There is barely any bit of your soul left. You are becoming more and more of me as we speak, and everyone you know… will die."_

For a split second, he felt pain, immeasurable pain, right through his chest, as a blade stuck out through it. He didn't need to look twice. It was Mugen, and the person who had stabbed him was Kanda. His widened eyes were not seen within the mirror as the Fourteenth just grinned again.

"_Desires. Isn't that what happened when you played your song… Allen? Do you know what you did, what your desires did? You set yourself up… for betrayal… for rejection… for nothingness… by helping those you loved. They never loved you back… Allen."_

Drips resounded too loudly as everything else just disappeared and left him alone in a big, black space. He collapsed onto his knees, his hands pressed up against the floor, trying to recover. He was still bleeding. The blade had pierced right through his heart, but he was still breathing. How was that possible? He coughed, blood spewing out of his mouth and onto the floor. There was too much of it. Too much blood, far too much. He didn't want to see anymore.

"_Accept it and move on… Allen."_

The Fourteenth appeared on the floor in the blood, his blood, as everything seemed to turn to water, then to nothing. He was falling.

'…_You lie…!'_

"_As I said… There is no more hope. At least… for the likes of you, Walker."_

His eyes snapped open, breathing heavier than normal, hand clasped up against his chest as if he were trying to get himself to calm down. Something was not right as he felt nothing but cold beneath him and around him. He was knee-deep in snow and was in regular clothes, not his exorcist uniform. He was standing in front of the inn. It was still fairly dark out, but by the looks of it, the sun was rising. Several questions formed in his head. _'I'm still alive? But wasn't I freezing in that water? And why am I standing here? I thought I was quite far from here…And when did I change clothes? These look like the clothes these people wear…' _He shivered as he noticed a little girl around ten, and by the looks of it, was about to open the door of the inn. His eye didn't activate. She was a human.

"Wa-Wait!" he called out just as she opened the door. She turned and looked at him oddly, about to reply, when the carpeting grabbed her by the ankle and started to drag her in. Allen's eyes grew wide as he grabbed her hand, being pulled in with her. They were both thrown across the room into the wall. The girl started to wail after the impact, her forehead cut a little bit. Allen sat up and tried to calm her down.

"Welcome, 'exorcist'!" cried a voice from up above. The chandelier came lower and lower until it touched the floor, the person riding it. Standing before him was a man with a pale complexion, his eyes blue and beaming with excitement, his hair curly and blonde. Allen had a slight suspicion this man was younger than he looked, judging by the socks with a candy cane print on them he was wearing. "Too bad I only nabbed one of you, I was hoping to have some more fun. You know the rules. Trespass my house and the punishment is death!"

He snapped his fingers, causing the chandelier to ride back up to its original post. The little girl blinked once, tears still in her eyes, as Allen stood up slowly. "Try not to get in the middle of this, okay? If you do, you could get even more hurt," he whispered, a false smile on his lips.

The girl nodded, shivering a little, while Allen took a few steps towards the man. "Listen, sir," he started, but the man sighed as the carpet tripped him onto his face. He winced as he looked up to see him in front of him, those same, sparkly blue eyes looking down on him.

"'Listen' nothing," he replied, a face in the look of disgust. "Did I not just tell you? I don't care for you or anyone. I prefer to be alone. But no, you and your bloody friends have to come in here and disturb my peace! Does it look like I want you guys in here?! Nien, niete, non! How many languages do I need to convey the message here, huh?! Ai yai yai! You would think I'd be putting a message saying, 'All people wanted', judging by the amount that come in here! Seriously!" He stomped a foot onto Allen's back, a look of a pout about to form. "Though, you are a cutie… I may want to keep you for live bait… But I bet you look better with a little blood on you, huh?"

Allen grimaced as he shoved the man's foot off of him, standing up and glaring at him. This guy was crazy! "Listen to me, will you?! I don't want to fight you. I just want to talk about this inn of yours and that it's the Innoce--"

"Blah, blah, blah!" he covered his ears. "Shut up, will you?!"

The carpet picked itself up off of the floor and wrapped itself around Allen, tightening with every time it wrapped itself around him. He grimaced as he felt his breathing become worse. His chest was too tight. Even if he did activate Crown Clown, he wasn't going to be able to use it-- His other arm was stuck. The little girl cowered in the corner as she watched the man starting to kick Allen repeatedly. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! You, my mother, everyone keeps on talking and saying they want to talk all the time, to negotiate! I don't give a care whether I live or die, just so long as no one trespasses this territory! This place has been all but forgotten, just like me, and that's what makes us the same! So shut up! I'm not leaving, and neither are you! Alive, that is! Shut up!"

He snapped his fingers as some stairs formed that led down below. They were about one hundred feet long, one hundred feet deep, leading to a room he had created. Allen winced as he glanced at the little girl, who was doing nothing but crying, while he mouthed, "Hide", before being kicked down them. She blinked once as she heard heavy thuds and a very heavy thud at the end, followed by a cackle from the man. She shivered as her hands reached for something, anything. She clicked a door knob unknowingly and fell through the door. She desperately closed it as the man laughed again.

"Good luck down there!" he yelled. "That room is for my anatomy studies, and the skeletons have been a little restless lately!"

There was a loud slamming sound and the sound of footsteps walking away as the girl waited, then opened the door slowly with a slight creaking noise. There was humming upstairs, but it didn't seem as if the man had noticed. She tiptoed towards the door, and, with gentle ease, opened it, and fled outside into the snow, crying, running towards the other inn where her father worked.

* * *

He was having a dreamless sleep when his eyes opened slowly. Everything seemed warmer, which he knew couldn't be quite right, because last time he had checked, Allen was still a frozen popsicle. But everything was warm and content. Did he recover? He looked at his side to see the space where Allen _should _have occupied was empty. He did a double-take and looked around. "Allen? _Allen? _Are you here?" He had to be there somewhere, his boots were still beside his own… He frowned. Did he wake up and get something to eat? How the hell was he okay after being in that water for only God knows how long? He glanced over at Kanda, who was still sleeping like a log. Quiet log, but a log none the less. He walked over to him and paused, then covered his mouth while plugging his nose shut. It took a few seconds before Kanda's eyes snapped open.

"G'mornin', beautiful. How are ya?"

The walls shuddered with the resounding punches that occurred, each one blocked with a mastery of a hammer. _"What _in the _fuck_ were you _thinking?! _You just don't do something like that to somebody who is sleeping, _Baka Usagi!" _The growl was more than enough to put Lavi's hands up in defeat. "Che. What time is it? Why did you wake me up?"

"We're gonna take storm the inn, right?" Lavi's grin made Kanda want to skin him. "And once we do that, we can go home, 'member? We just gotta wait 'til Allen-chan comes back so that we have a team of three! He probably went down to get some food, 'cause his boots are still here." He picked them up and grinned. "They're all dry, too, so his feet won't freeze. Whaddaya think, Yuu-chan? Do you like his boots or what?"

"What fucking difference does it make?" he picked up Mugen and frowned. "And when in the hell did you care about appearance? Che."

'_No, dammit, that's not what I meant…' _Lavi felt Kanda's mood coming towards him as a frown tugged at his face. _'Well, let's try something else.' _"Well, I just think Allen is a bit cute, don't you? I mean, with the white hair and all, kinda reminds ya of all this snow around here, hunh? And his eyes are snow-coloured, too. Y'know, when it's snowing, the grey sky and the white snow…" _'Stop rambling and get to the point, Lavi.' _"In Latin, we call that 'niveous'. Did you know that? Niveous means 'snow-coloured'." He paused, noticing Kanda's raised eyebrow. Lavi sweat dropped. _'You know, I never really looked at him like that, but now that I think about it, he really is a snowy kinda person…' _he thought before continuing. "Yeah, I mean, you could argue that his eyes are blue, but they really are grey, don't you--"

"What the hell does this have to do with anything? You sound like you have a crush on him. Che. Perfect. Two idiots falling in love with one another."

'_No, dammit!' _Lavi felt himself wince internally, a slight pang of stupidity hitting him. "No, Yuu-chan, I don't like Allen that way. He's more of my… brother or something. Whatever that term is. What do you think, Yuu-chan? Doesn't he look snow-coloured to you?"

"Che. He looks like an idiot. And if you call me that one more time, I'll splatter your guts."

'_Ooh…' _Lavi groaned as Kanda left the room. _'This will never work out, will it? Allen will go unrequited, but with all the crap he goes through, he deserves something…' _His eyes stared at the door, frowning. _'But I just can't tell Yuu-chan. I gotta figure something out, a new plan, something. I owe Allen that much…' _He glanced out the window and sighed, about to think something else, but a loud, high-pitched wailing sound stopped him and caused him to do a double-take. He bolted out the door and ran downstairs to see Kanda and the man from behind the desk looking at a girl with brown hair and a white coat. Her eyes were buried in the man's chest.

"Oi, Yuu-chan, what's going on?"

"Che. I don't know. But Allen's not here."

"Dad'y…!" the girl sobbed, then pulled away, hands at her eyes. The way she looked, she reminded Lavi of Miranda. "I-I… I wen' to tha' scary looking buil'ing over there, an' I was 'bout to go in when a boy trie' to stop me… He ha' white hair an'… at firs' I though' he was ol', bu' he waddn't…" she sobbed again. "A scary man was there, an' he bea' the boy up… he tol' me to hi', an' I did, an' then I ran… the boy is still in the scary buil'ing…" Most of what she said was garbled because of the hiccupping sobs and wails, but Lavi understood most of it. Allen was in the inn without them, and since there was a little girl there, he probably didn't put up much of a fight. A ten-year-old could remember scarring things long until their fifty, and making someone bleed was probably the last option on Allen's list at that moment.

"Yuu-chan… What're we gonna do? Do we go in after him or what?"

There was a pause as Kanda glanced out the window. The snow seemed to have paused for a little bit. If they went now, they could be over and done by noon, if they did it right, they could start heading home around evening and be back at the Order by midnight. That sounded good to him. "Che. Of course we go in after him, Baka Usagi."

"'Of course'…?" Lavi repeated, emphasizing the two words. "Yuu-chan, don't tell me you're worried about Allen!"

"Suggest that again and I'll cut you."

With that said, he stormed out of the building, leaving three people standing there, speechless. Lavi sighed. "Sorry 'bout that, he's had a rough couple of days. Thank you for telling that to us, little girl. What's your name?"

"A-Allisa," she replied.

"Well, Allisa." Lavi pulled the infamous brooch out of his pocket and handed it to her. "A gift," he said, grinning. "Keep it."

Allisa hesitated, then reached out with one trembling hand and received it. The colour changed from dark blue to pure white. Her eyes widened, as did Lavi's and her father's, when she faded rapidly and disappeared. Both of them blinked once, comprehending the situation. Lavi didn't understand. That was just a brooch, was it not? Then how come that little girl disappeared? The father had a look of rage on his face towards Lavi. He shrunk back. "Look, I'll find her!" he said. "That was Hagar's brooch, and I figured it was just an honest present! I had no idea it would make her disappear like that!" He started running, then came back and said, "Honest! Me and Yuu-chan will find her!"

The man said something Lavi couldn't quite hear as he noticed that Kanda was missing. Did he already go inside? He wasn't going to wait? He frowned as he walked towards the building and stood before it. He paused, taking in a deep breathe, before his hand reached out and turned the door knob slowly. In an instant, he was grabbed by something and thrown into the house. Kanda stood there, an annoyed look on his face. Lavi groaned as he rose from the floor and rubbed the side of his face.

"What in the hell was that? I feel like I just passed through a wall of water…"

"Che. You and me both."

Lavi looked around before noticing a lot of differences. There were no more plants, but there were new chandeliers. There were no pictures, either. And the entire front of the inn had been changed. It was a grand hall with two ornate staircases, both with lion heads at the end of each railing. There were also two side doors, one with a skull above it, the other with a cross on the mat to it. He paused, and then immediately knew what this was. They were part of a game, and Allen was the prize at the end, wasn't it?

_If you want him, come and get him, exorcists!_

The laughter echoed from nowhere. Kanda's upper lip twitched and made him wear a look of disgust on his face. Allen was not worth this much time to deal with, especially when one had a life at stake. He started heading towards the door with the cross when Lavi headed towards the other door, the same confused expression on his face.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Kanda asked, pulling Mugen out. "We should take this door--"

"Reverse psychology, Yuu-chan," Lavi said as he tapped his skull with his pointer finger. "It would be too easy to go through that door. We should take this one instead."

He wasn't willing to at first, but sometimes Lavi was smarter than he was, so he would just have to go with it. They walked through the door slowly to find an old, run down room that looked as it had been sitting in the inn for about one hundred years. The wood looked like it was about to give way and collapse on top of itself. Lavi and Kanda looked at each other for a split second before walking in and stepping cautiously on the floor. It creaked, but that was the extent of what it did. Lavi relaxed as he noticed a sign reading:

"_You got through the first part. There are three in all. Now, pick a door. It's not as easy as before."_

Behind it was seven doors, each with its own symbol-- A star, a heart, a cloud, a snow flake, a square, a frog and a rabbit. Lavi peaked at Kanda to see if he would make any snide remarks, but he was in serious mode and wasn't even paying attention to any of it. He was trying to determine which door to go through. "Che. If Allen hadn't tried to do anything stupid, we wouldn't be in this mess. Why in the hell did he go out on his own, and without footwear, even?"

"Spur of the moment, I guess," Lavi shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Question, Yuu-chan! Why're you calling Allen by his name? 'Cause last time I checked, you always called him 'bean sprout'. But now alluva sudden you're calling him Allen? Didja hit your head or something? Or maybe you like Allen, after all!" He knew he was trying too hard, and that any normal person would pick up that he was suggesting things between him and Allen, but this was Kanda, not normal people. Kanda was as dense as lead, so he really doubted that he had anything to worry about. The Japanese man gave him a scowl before looking back at the doors.

"It's easier to say Allen."

"But you hate him. You don't call people by their names if you hate them."

"Well, maybe I just wanted to have a change of pace."

"Well, maybe I just think that your in denial."

An anger mark formed on Kanda's forehead, one that was throbbing violently. "Che. What's your point?! Just get to it, already! And the only thing I fucking deny is your existence and Allen's!" He stormed towards a door and kicked it open, anger evident in an aura. "You all get on my nerves, anyways! Che!"

The accommodator blinked once, in utter shock, as Kanda stormed up the stairs and stopped, confused. What, did he pick the right door or something? He was pretty sure he was just walking for the sake of walking, or, as it were, kicking a door open for the sake of kicking the door open. The accommodator rose to his feet, smirking. "Well, that was too easy for the likes of you, I guess. But it's already a _leetle_ to late. You see, Allen has been playing with my anatomy skeletons down below, and I'm going to be taking you two on right here." The grin danced up to his eyes as he spun in a circle. "After all, it's my play, now! And you are the puppets! Tee hee!"

'_Che. This bastard is more annoying than the Baka Usagi. I didn't think it was possible.'_

"For now, we're going to make a play of my own creation!" He jumped up onto the forming balcony and grinned. "And it's called 'The Lost Scarecrow Dance'!"

The sudden change of the room caused Kanda and Lavi to fall flat on their faces. The room had a checkered design. The windows were a peculiar shape, wide and ominous as the moon (which was a waning moon) rose slowly. Lavi blinked once. Wasn't it morning just five minutes ago? What was going on here!

"No, I stand corrected," the voice echoed and caused both of them to slap their hands over their ears. "This isn't called 'The Lost Scarecrow Dance'. It's called 'The Dance of Death'! Tee hee!"

The echoing laughter left an impression that Lavi and Kanda could not shake off. Allen was gone, and something was wrong.

They both felt like it was their final fight.

And they were being forced to dance it through.

* * *

SHORT AGAIN! Urgh! I assure you, Chapter 14 will be longer! So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And you guys are amazing! You guys keep me motivated! Oh yeah, Happy Hanukkah! (Starts next Saturday or this Saturday. I can never keep track of these things.) See you all later in 14! --K.S.


	14. The Dance of Death

Man, more confusion. I know there were grammatical errors last chapter, I resolve to fix that soon! ^_^ And the girl? Well… She's important. (Just answerin' some questions, that's all.) All will be revealed, trust me! Yatta! And so, let us commence forthwith with Chapter, hot damn, 14 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: DGM is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

14. The Dance of Death

The rooms were clogged with strange material. Allisa stared blankly at them as she stood up weakly, trying to figure out where she was. It looked older than any building she had seen. It was terribly messy, and the rooms were bitterly cold. She shivered, eyes flickering about. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her father again and pretend that none of this ever happened to her. She never wanted to see that scary-looking man ever again, if she could help it. The brooch in her hands shined a violent yellow, the vibrations constant. Was it trying to tell her something? But what? She walked towards one of the many doors and opened it. A wall stood there in her path. There was nothing else there. She tried another door. The same thing.

Every door she had tried to open was exactly the same, all with walls behind them. She wanted to cry loudly and run, but there was no where else but where she was. She looked down at the brooch and noticed there were colorful sparkles emitting from it in different shades of colours. It was beautiful. She looked up at the wall in front of her and noticed a crack, one that looked about the size of her brooch. She couldn't reach it, though. It had to go there, there was no other explanation for it. But how was she going to get up there? She was too short.

'…_W-What do I do now?' _she thought, staring at it. _'I… Is this the key for the way out? Then I have to think of something…'_

She sat on the floor and thought for a long time, while upstairs, just above her, two exorcists were having issues of their own.

* * *

'_Keep your eyes focused.'_

He had told himself time and time again, but no matter how he looked around, there seemed to be nothing happening. Mugen also seemed to have felt confused, if that were at all possible, as the Japanese man couldn't help but feel that nothing was going to happen, even if it was too quiet. Then what was the point of this room? There had to be something that he was missing. His grip subconsciously tightened around the hilt of Mugen while Lavi asked the pertinent question, "Now what?"

At that, Kanda had nothing to say. He just gave Lavi a side glance before taking several steps forward. There had to be something going on, and it was probably right in front of them, but they couldn't see it. He double-checked the room again. The checkered floor. The window with the moon that shouldn't have been there shining through it. The stair case and balcony that creepy man was standing on earlier. A chandelier, which was in every room they had been in. And nothing else. There was just silence and a tiny echo whenever one of them spoke. He looked down at his feet. He was standing on one of the black tiles, but around is feet was something white and glowing. He stepped onto the next tile and looked behind him. On every tile he had stepped on, the opposite colour of where his foot steps were shined brightly. On the previous white tile was black foot prints, and now there were white ones where he just was. What was up with that?

'_Che. This is like a huge jig-saw puzzle with no point to it.'_

"Maybe we should try going up the stairs?" Lavi suggested, shrugging. "It's not like we have any other choice, the door locked behind us…"

He gave a quick nod before leading the way towards the stairs when he stepped onto another tile. It sank in a little, causing it and several other tiles to fall around them. Kanda's and Lavi's eyes widened as the checkered tiles started to move. Below them, if they fell, were fires fueled by wood. The room was the main heating source, and the accommodator had just turned it into a living Hell, quite literally. Kanda grimaced. If they made a wrong move now, they would burn in an instant. The stairs were approximately one hundred yards away. He glanced at Lavi. "Can't you use your hammer and get us over there?!"

"Wish I could, Yuu-chan, but if the tiles keep moving like this, the head of the hammer will slip and that could kill us," the redhead said while trying to keep his balance. "The only thing we can do is to try this out and to not fall, which is gonna be a really hard task. I'm surprised this guy can do stuff like this within his house. I gotta tell you, this building is one heck of an Innocence. If we could just convince him to join us, that would be a lot easier…"

"Che." Kanda didn't particularly care about the fact that the house was the Innocence, he just cared about getting through this part and manage to beat the living shit out of that damned bean sprout. It was his fault that they were in this mess. Couldn't he just do something right for once? He shifted his weight onto his left foot as he jumped to the next tile. The one he had just jumped off from behind him collapsed into the fire and was burned to a crisp. He grimaced. _'This is like an elimination thing. Once we jump to a spot, we can't jump back if we make a mistake. Che. And here I thought that this couldn't get any possibly worse. I was stupid for thinking that.'_

Lavi was a bit ahead of him as he looked back, noticing something terribly wrong. "Yuu-chan! Your tile is starting to crumble! Hurry up and jump already!"

'_Really stupid,' _Kanda thought as he jumped to the next moving tile, almost missing it. His footing nearly slipped, but Lavi's hammer pushed him back just enough to keep him on the tile. He would have scowled at the rabbit-brat for doing something risky, but if he hadn't done that he would have been burning to death. He bit down on his tongue as he jumped to the next tile and the next when he realized that it was the wrong way. If he kept going the way he was going, he would end up hitting a wall and fall. Lavi was on the right path, go figure, but he couldn't go that way. The tiles behind the apprentice Bookman were crumbling after he had stepped on them.

"Oi! Baka Usagi!"

Lavi turned with a confused look on his face. "Hunh?"

"When you get over to where the stairs are, use your hammer and get me as well. I can't go any farther than where I am right now without heading into a trap."

Lavi nodded once as he jumped three times and landed with perfection onto the foot of the stairs, a grin on his face, but it quickly fell as he noticed that the tile Kanda was standing on was almost gone. Quickly, he extended the handle out towards him just as the tile collapsed. Kanda single-handedly grabbed the miniaturized head before he fell and held onto it tightly as Lavi shortened the handle to back where he was, giving Kanda a hand to get up steadily. The stairs loomed before both of them as a creaking noise started to occur. The ceiling was beginning to collapse around them, as were the walls. The accommodator was deleting the room.

"Quick, Yuu-chan! Let's get out of here!"

Kanda was already five steps ahead of him as the two sprinted out of the room and reached for the door out of desperation, collapsing through as if a herd of lions had just chased them down for dinner. The door slammed closed behind them and faded as the room was deleted, just like that. The two breathed heavily for a moment longer before standing up straight and noticing the man standing in front of them. He had a grin on his face, the applause that he was giving them echoing quietly in the room. "Congrats, you bloody brats. I completely underestimated you." The grin grew wider. "But, not by that much. I still have your other friend in checkmate."

"Che. If that's true, then where is he?"

"Oh, he's coming soon. Not to worry, one of my skeletons is bringing him up. While we're waiting, do you want some tea?"

Both Kanda and Lavi exchanged dumbfounded looks at one another as the accommodator laughed loudly. "I was kidding. I don't want have to put up with you bloody morons longer than I have to." He looked back as a door opened beside him. It was one of the skeletons. "Bring me the other exorcist. We'll have a bargain." It nodded as it proceeded back into the room where it came from. He grinned back at the other two exorcists and sighed. "Oh, come on, lighten up. I didn't exactly kill him, I just messed with him a little bit. No big deal, right?"

"Che. This bastard is starting to get on my nerves," Kanda muttered.

"You and me both," Lavi whispered back.

The skeleton's head suddenly came flying out of the room as the teeth of it became embedded itself into one of the beams. Everyone blinked once, confused. There was another cracking sound, then a temporary pause as the arms came out next, the hands crumbling as they hit impact against the opposite wall. The door slammed closed then.

"What?" the accommodator asked aloud. "What the hell?"

A sudden rumbling noise came from below as the floor cracked open, letting something fly out from it and land right beside Kanda and Lavi. The mask was a dead give-away-- It was Allen with Crown Clown activated. He lifted the mask up from his head, the glare slightly evident. There were some bite marks all over his arm and on his neck, along with some scratches, but overall Allen looked pretty okay, given the current situation. "Sorry, but I think I object to being eaten alive," he remarked.

Lavi and Kanda were stunned. How did he manage to do that?

The man's upper lip twitched furiously for a moment, then grinned widely. "Well, actually, this is a whole hell of a lot more convenient. A dance is no good with just two people. Three is a party!"

The entire house started trembling beneath their feet, the room expanding rampantly. The walls turned to a shade of black as several chandeliers hung high on the ceiling. There were bookcases and desks, along with some pictures and a few more anatomy skeletons. Everything started to move in an instant, all of which seemed animated and alive. There were just so many of each thing not one of them knew how to react until, that is, Allen found himself blocking for Kanda's and Lavi's sake from the book flying at them. It fell to the floor, then moved its way to Allen's bare feet and tried to eat him like that.

"A-Argh! Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Allen stabbed it repeatedly with Crown Clown before noticing the floor was turning to a glass substance-- no, a slippery substance. His feet began to feel too cold for his liking.

_I took the freezer room and combined it with several other rooms in this house. _The accommodator's voice echoed throughout the area. _Enjoy the cold! I know my skeletons do! Heh, heh heh heh, heee…_

'_Crap, as if it couldn't get any worse for me,' _Allen thought as he jumped onto one of the tables and stabbed it from above._ 'What we need is a plan! Think, Allen! Think!'_

Lavi activated the second level of his Innocence while Allen jumped off the broken table towards the next victim of tables. "Fire Seal! Congregation of Ash!"

The place was engulfed in flames for a split second as books, tables and chairs were incinerated to a crisp. All that were really left were the skeletons, and those were pretty easy. Allen frowned. That was too easy for them, there had to have been something else… He and Kanda both charged at the walking anatomy skeletons and cut through them with ease. Lavi grinned at them widely, his hammer reverting back to pocket-size. "That was great, huh, Allen-chan, Yuu-chan?"

"Che." Kanda glanced over to Allen rather quickly, looking at him up and down. "Why the fuck are you not wearing any shoes or your uniform?"

"Well, the uniform is my fault-- It was all soaked and wet, and I didn't want Allen-chan to severely die from the cold," Lavi admitted. "I borrowed those clothes from the man behind the desk, back at the inn. Oh! That reminds me, after I gave his daughter the amulet, she disappeared somewhere. I promised him I'd find her, but I have no idea where she went, so that's a problem. But yeah, Allen, why aren't you wearing any shoes?"

The temptation to say, 'To make you ask questions' was so unreal that he didn't know whether or not he should have answered truthfully. "I was possibly sleep-walking, that's all, I guess… I woke up in deep snow and saw a little girl about to enter the inn, and I tried to stop her… so…" He paused, as if listening to see if anything else was coming. It was silent. "…I wound up here."

"Yeah, she said she saw you." Lavi nodded.

There was a pause as Allen pondered a bit. The girl who he had tried to save was the one missing because she handled the brooch, which was in question a part of the Innocence, which was the inn itself. But why would she disappear? His eyebrows furrowed close together as he thought it over and over again. If the girl disappeared… She would have more than likely ended up in the inn. But that wouldn't have happened unless of course she…

It clicked. "Guys!" Allen yelled, eyes wide. "That girl you were talking about, _she's_ the accommodator, not this guy!"

"Wha?!"

Another shudder occurred as more tables and books gathered around, all of which were moving. They had appeared out of no where. Allen grimaced. _'But then again, that doesn't make sense!' _he thought as he cut through one of them, heading towards a door. _'If she's the accommodator, then how come this guy is able to control this building? Was it so desperate it attached itself to the wrong person? But the girl had entered before, and nothing happened…'_ He cut through some more, his own thought processes leaving him dumbfounded. _'…So what is that brooch, then? How is it important?'_

"Che! Duck, Allen!"

Allen blinked once as he fell to the floor, letting Kanda take charge and cut many of the books down. Shortly thereafter, another blast of fire consumed all of them. Kanda grimaced. They just kept coming from no where, but it certainly must have had taken a serious toll on the guy's body. If what Allen said was true, then it would only be a matter of time before the man passed out. He frowned. And if the man passed out, since he was the one controlling it right now, what would happen to the rest of the building? Given all the snow and how old it actually was, it would probably collapse in on itself.

They needed to find the current controller, fast.

He ran through one of the doors quickly and waited for the other two to follow when the door slammed shut on them. He blinked once. He was trying to separate them! The nerve! Mugen rose above his head as he grimaced. _'Che. I can take out one measly wall. If what is happening is what I think is happening, then I should be able to break it, easy. Ichigen!'_

The spirits came out and chewed right through the wall, just as Kanda had expected, showing the other two exorcists fighting off the table and books. They were completely outnumbered. There was no way any of them could fight through all of that. He grimaced. As much as he hated running away from fights, this one was definitely not one they could win, especially when the real fight was else where. He quickly grabbed Allen's wrist, yelling, "Let's go, now!"

Lavi nodded as he slammed the door shut behind him and ran after Allen and Kanda, who were about ten feet in front of him. Kanda grimaced. They had to keep running until they found him. If they stopped, there was a chance that massive army would find them and try to kill them. The corridor seemed endless and had no doors anywhere in sight as they continued on running towards wherever they were going. Allen couldn't help but to blush lightly. He knew Kanda would never like him, not even as just friends, but the little moments where Kanda didn't even know what he was doing, like grabbing his wrist and making a run for it (which, within itself, was still odd, considering they had been running for about two minutes and he still had not let go of him yet), made him happy. He tried not to think about it as he looked up, noticing a door coming up.

"There!" he yelled, pointing at it.

"Che. You think I can't see it?" Kanda asked as he let go of Allen's wrist and started running a bit faster than before. It was about fifty yards away, but that was fine. Lavi caught up to them rather quickly, a panicked look on his face.

"T-The hallway is collapsing!"

Allen and Kanda looked back and noticed that, no, there were no tables and books coming after them, but that indeed the hallway was collapsing rampantly. Something told Kanda that the man did not want this to happen. The pace of all three doubled as they tried to reach for the door, but the ground began to slip out from under them. Lavi was the one to fall first, and as a result, he grabbed onto Allen's leg, who in turned grabbed onto Kanda's coat, who, because he was right there, grabbed onto the door knob and hung there, swaying lightly. If he held onto it too long, the knob would break. He could already hear it giving way. He turned it and opened the door just as the knob broke. He grimaced as his hands grabbed onto the edge of the doorway.

"W-Wah! Yuu-chan, can't you get up there?!"

"Che! I'm trying, but you two…Urgh! Too heavy…" Instinctively, his leg kicked at Allen's hand, causing the British exorcist to let go. Kanda pulled himself up into the room as he realized something was wrong and frowned. _Oh… _He looked over to where he was just hanging and the other two were gone, just like that. The door began to close on its own as Kanda got away from there and watched the door disappear. '_Che. Those bastards better be alive. They probably were just transported to another room. It seems to be a trend-- He doesn't delete them, he just crushes the room and re-builds it somewhere else. But when the room gets crushed, it's painful…'_ He glanced around the current room he was in. It was old, the roof was missing, and snow was at his feet. _'Just as I thought. His power is dwindling quickly. Che. I bet he doesn't even know what's happening to him. If what Allen said is true, that the little girl that came into the inn earlier, is the accommodator, she's probably taking all the power from him somehow and is becoming the master of the Innocence, just as it should be.'_

He heard two 'thud' noises in one of the other rooms, and a whine that was far too recognizable for him to ignore. That was Allen and Lavi. He opened an old-looking door that turned to dust the second he touched it and walked into a slightly bigger room that seemed a lot more decorated and warmer. On the floor were two people whom Kanda hated most. He frowned at them which was a near scowl before helping Lavi up and looked at Allen with a look of disgust. "If you would have died, I would have had to kill you after I brought you back to life somehow," he said, putting Mugen away. "Che… Is it just me or is this building reverting back to its natural self?"

Allen sat up and sighed. "We need to find the little girl. She's probably in this building."

"Hmm… Then why haven't we found her yet?" Lavi asked.

"Have you _seen_ the size of this building? We haven't even covered half of it, and the rooms keep on changing."

There was a pause amongst all of them as Kanda frowned, noticing both of the idiots in front of him were bleeding. Lavi's left hand was cut open and his forehead was dripping a little bit and sliding down his cheek. The bloody smile was sort of creepy. Allen, since he was wearing light blue and white and Kanda could see the soaked spots, was bleeding from his left leg and his shoulder. It must have been from the fall… The Japanese man frowned more. For whatever reason, he felt as if this guy was not done with them yet, even though he was more than likely almost out of power. They would just have to find him and see. He was great at running away, that was for sure…

He started heading towards another door when it faded from view. He frowned and reached for the one that formed on the opposite wall and opened it. It was completely dark, the only light produced by one huge candle at the end of the long room. Lavi and Allen looked over his shoulder, unblinking. It was definitely not friendly-looking. Kanda pulled out Mugen and walked on in as if it were any ordinary room. The two behind him looked at each other before shrugging and following him in. The door slammed shut behind them, but none of them noticed as the man stood in front of the candle and grinned quietly at them. "This is the final act," he said, approaching them. "Every other room in this building has faded back to the old, rickety inn this place once was. I know what you're thinking-- That I'm out of power… Well, yes, I am almost done."

"Then why are you still trying to fight us?!" Allen yelled, coming from behind Kanda. "All the Akuma you killed, you're not even the accommodator! There has to be some good in you, there just has to be!"

He laughed loudly. It was sharp, chipper, and seemed to echo throughout the room. "Heh! Aren't you just a cute little naïve boy, huh? You and your bloody friends, everyone, I hate you. I'd rather be elsewhere…" He looked off to one side, a small sigh coming out of his mouth. "I came to Sweden to get away from everyone I knew. And I found this inn so appealing, I decided to investigate it. Turns out, somehow, I was able to move the stuff around without touching a thing. But it was killing me. Still is." He unrolled one of his sleeves to show black marks around his arms. "I am not the main controller. I wish I was, because this inn and I, I feel like there's a bond here. So I'm going to break it between us, and I join you exorcists to be a part of the final act!"

The room immediately became brighter as candle after candle lit up, all of which were taller than any of them. The temperature seemed to grow hotter as wax fell off each of them. The man took a step forward and raised his arms above his head, and with them melted and hot wax from each of them rose from the candles. Kanda's eyes widened. This had to be a joke. Everything inside this house could be a weapon, even the _wax_ of a _candle?! _He grinded his teeth together as the man clapped his hands together and the wax responded by being sent flying towards the group of exorcists. Lavi pulled out his hammer and started spinning it so that the wax could be stopped, but instead it attached to his hands and scorched them, melted them together to be attached to the handle of it. He yelped loudly as Kanda's Ichigen ate through some wax. Allen knocked Lavi out of the way as wax tried to nail him up against the wall, sending them both into the floor. The main candle sent a huge glop of wax towards Kanda, who was not paying attention until the last second he had. It hit him directly and pinned him to the floor. It was burning in temperature as it quickly hardened. Allen grimaced as more wax appeared.

"Crown Clown, activate!" he yelled, turning his arm into the sword that everyone liked to depend on and cracked the wax that Kanda was under open, allowing the samurai to come out and defend himself better. This was worse than any of them had expected. Allen turned to the man, annoyed. "What are you trying to do?!"

"Did I not just tell you?" he replied, arms raised over his head for the next attack. "This is the final act. _My_ final act. This inn's final act. You are all just witnesses, and since I don't want to die alone, I'm taking all of you with me. Ashes and all." The arms fell and the wax that loomed over their candles went flying towards them once more. "But I wanted to have some fun first, and you guys have always been a great source of entertainment. All humans are… It's so much fun to watch them squirm. Heh… heh heh heh…"

'_This guy has seriously cracked or something… He's definitely not right, that's for sure,' _Lavi thought while dodging one of the attacks. _'I don't even think Allen can save him, no matter how hard he tries, and I know he will--' _His thoughts were cut off abruptly as a hot wax pile hit him directly in the left shoulder. It sizzled and burned him badly as he bit down his tongue. He was not good at dodging these things at all, but he just couldn't die like that freak wanted.

"What are you talking about?" Allen asked, blocking and dodging wax. "You're still young! You can just disengage from this inn and let the real controller take over and get back your life! You still have chances that you can take! Just don't throw all of that away, you just can't!" He was growing desperate, the plead was readable in his eyes, but the man just sighed and chuckled lightly as his eyes stared up at the ceiling.

"My mind is made up," he said, and within an instant a huge flurry of wax came flying towards all of them. Allen winced as he knew he couldn't block all of it and tried to dodge, only to head into another pile and got slammed into the floor. It hardened quickly after it burned him half to death. Crown Clown was across the floor, far away from any of them. The man grinned as Kanda and Lavi found themselves stuck to the walls.

'_Shit, this burns like hell!' _the redhead screamed in his thoughts. _'Where the hell is Allen-- Yuu-chan-- We're all pinned?!'_

"And now…" The man grinned oddly as he tipped the candle behind him over, then walked over to one side and tipped one candle, causing a domino effect and knocking the rest onto the floor, causing flames to catch onto the walls and anything else flammable. He laughed quietly as the room started to grow far too hot for any of their liking, the door that led the way out of the room disappearing. "And now… It's all over."

"Don't do this!" Allen yelled, watching him cross the room and into one of the flames. "Stop it, don't--! _Stop it!!"_

The man didn't listen as he collapsed into the flames and started to burn quickly, black smoke and a horrible stench filling the room. Allen's eyes widened as he started coughing rapidly. The smoke was filling the room far too quickly. By the time the wax would finally melt, it wouldn't matter. He would be dead of breathing in too much smoke. Lavi and Kanda were in the same position, too. This really couldn't be the end for them. He still had so much to do. He just had to break free. He had to.

'_No… hope… I… create my own path… and I choose…'_

He watched as a beam start to burn to the left of him, the smoke unbearable like the heat. The wax was melting that was on top of him, but it burned him almost too well. He winced, biting his inner cheek to resist from screaming. He needed to get Kanda and Lavi out of there, and the little girl that was somewhere in there as well.

'_I choose…'_

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Wow! Was that not a great ending to this chapter? I think so! So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And wish me luck for the report I need to finish soon! Once I finish it, I'll update this, and that may take two weeks! The faster I get it done, the better! See you all in, WOW, fifteen! --K.S.


	15. The Question Why

Wonderful! I finished my report and I got a ninety-five on it! Woo-hoo! I am just that awesome. Christmas is right around the corner, and what better way to give you all a present by writing? I hope you all enjoy it! And, pretty soon here, from this chapter out, I am gonna reply to your reviews (now that I have the time to do so)! And thank you for them, by the way! 68! Holy crap! Anyways! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 15 of 'Niveous Sky'!

**NOTE:** In this chapter, I was guessing on the situation of Alma Karma and Kanda and their relationship. Plus on Alma's view of Kanda killing him. Please don't hate me. XD;

Disclaimer: DGM is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

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15. The Question of Why

Whispers have came and went over the ears that weren't listening, the looks of many that went unseen, the touches that were not felt, and the smells that could not make the mouth water. But faint yells finally did reach these ears, yells of something burning and people in danger. Something seemed blurred in the eyes of the blind, and the feeling of being warm and alone sank in quicker than anyone would have known. Something was burning, and burning fast. She blinked once, her eyes adjusting to the long-lost light that was once all but a faint memory, and felt all the life in her that was once gone rush back to her.

She sat up, eyes wide, staring at her own hands. She was… alive? But she should have died, should she have not? Her shaking hands dropped to her side as she noticed that the room was not familiar. Where was she?

Shakily, she stepped onto the cold floor and walked out of the room and into another one that was familiar to her and found her shoes. She quickly put them on before looking out the window vacantly to see people gathered around the inn that was in question. Something black formed over the rickety building, something thick and unpleasant. There was the faint smell of it burning, too. She didn't like it. With all of the snow gathering around, there should not have been a fire, especially at a place that was abandoned. She walked over to the next room to see Kanda, Lavi, and Allen were not there. Something unsettling sank in her stomach as her hands subconsciously grabbed the fabric covering her chest. They weren't in there, were they?

Of course they were. They were trying to get the Innocence.

She pulled out her clock, the Time Record, and activated it. She looked at Allen's time and the others and noticed it was fading in and out rampantly. They were in trouble. She bit her lower lip as she grabbed a coat and headed downstairs to notice everyone within the building was gone and outside in the cold, trying to put out the fire. How big was it? She ran outside and saw people gathering around the building while checking Time Record. Their time was running out. She panicked. "Please, Time Record! Stop the inn's time and my friend's time!"

Everyone turned to her as she yelled loudly, but not a thing happened. Her eyes widened. "I-It can't be… t-too weak?" She looked at the building, and, in a quick motion, ran directly through the doorway and into a black-cloud-filled area. It was next to impossible to see anything, but she still needed to find them. She could hear the yells from people outside telling her it was too dangerous, but she didn't listen. Her eyes watered as she ran up a flight of stairs and saw the flames mostly surrounding one door. She hesitated, and then, as fast as she could, opened the door. She singed her hand on the door knob and saw the three dying exorcists lying there, completely still.

"Please, Time Record!" she cried, desperation kicking in. "Stop the inn's time! Please!"

When nothing happened, she knew what she had to do. She took three steps back, scared and terrified out of her mind, and jumped into the room consumed with flames. She first found Lavi, slumped over and weak-looking, and picked him up gently. He was barely breathing. She coughed as she found Kanda right beside him. She picked him up as well and ran out of the room, thinking she saw everyone there. Allen had to be somewhere else. She ran back outside and brought them out. Lavi coughed loudly as he noticed Miranda. "M-Mir-Mir-chan…"

"Where's Allen?" she asked hurriedly.

"…Same… room… as we were… in the middle…" he whispered, breathing becoming worse. "…little girl… Allisa… in there somewhere… … …I… promised… … find her…"

Miranda eye's widened. She didn't even see him. That room was almost completely consumed when she was in there earlier, there was no way it was going to be any less hot or on fire. There was a cracking noise. She blinked once, then looked at the Time Record. Allen's time faded completely. Her eyes widened.

'_No… N-No…!'_

It flickered a little bit, faded again, then flickered back once more. She winced, looking quickly at her hand. It was mostly black from the burn. She found the courage once more, yelling at someone, "They need attention, now!" before heading back into the burning building. She ran up those stairs once more, realizing the hall was now on fire as well. Allen's time faded again. She ran into the room, burning one of her feet as she saw the boy laying face-down on the floor. She grabbed him, noticing he had no pulse left. She noticed the large window in the back of the room as the beam fell and blocked the door. She broke through it and landed hard on the ground, rushing back to the group of people, limping. She twisted her ankle on the fall. she laid Allen down and people immediately ran towards him trying to resuscitate him.

'_Allisa… A little girl…' _she thought, then looked at the Time Record. _'Give me enough time to find this little girl.'_

It beamed lightly, indicating that it was ready for anything, and broke free of the grasp of several people who were trying to stop her as she returned back into the inn. Every door she came across she opened, but with little luck. The second floor was already burned to the crisp, so she hoped like crazy that the girl was on the first floor. She opened the second to last door and found a half wall there. She climbed over it and saw the little girl sleeping there. She shook her and the girl woke up.

"Wh-Who… Will you… help me…?" she asked, her big eyes slightly frightened. Miranda nodded, a little stunned at the question. The girl had a lot of determination in her, she could tell that much. "…Lift me up… so that I can put this thingy into the hole right there. Please?"

Miranda stared down at the girl's hands. Within it was a shiny brooch, glowing faintly with pretty colours, mostly in shades of yellow. She nodded again, then lifted her up. Allisa hesitated, then placed the brooch within the hole. It was a perfect fit. The house began to shake, and, within an instant, the brooch floated back into her hands. Miranda blinked once and found themselves outside in front of the burning building, noticing something was strange. The pieces of the house were restoring itself. The smoke was fading. And, by the looks of it, the house within itself was shrinking. It grew smaller and smaller until it was sucked up into the brooch that the little girl held preciously within her hands. The gathering crowd of people stared at her.

"Allisa!" the man from behind the desk cried.

She tugged at Miranda's shirt-- an indication to get down, as Miranda did so --and ran towards he father who was beyond delighted to have his little girl safe and sound back in his arms. She winced, finding that her leg was hurting more than she had anticipated. People surrounded the girl and began to ask questions, but the man from behind the desk pushed the people out of the way and returned to the inn slowly. Miranda watched slowly as she found herself looking around for the others. There were so many people crowding around them it was nearly impossible to locate them. There was yelling and constantly rising chatter about the injured exorcists that was so loud she had to back away from the crowd. As they started to hurry and leave towards the hospital, Miranda was left alone.

'_That girl…'_

She could not finish her thoughts. That man looked so overjoyed to see that her daughter was safe, but how was he going to react when she told him that his daughter needed to come back to the Order with them? What then? She bit her lower lip and frowned a gentle frown. How was this going to work? It probably was going to be extremely difficult… She limped on towards the clinic that her fellow exorcists were taken to. She'd think about that later, but right now, there were more important things to take note of. Were they okay? Lavi was talking to her earlier, but was that just a fluke? Fear clenched her stomach as she walked through the front door of the building and noticed people were all talking and chattering. Some looked worried, others, excited. What had just happened was a mysterious phenomenon that was caused by the little girl. The accommodator. Miranda swallowed hard as she approached a professional looking woman that seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She took notice of Miranda and smiled.

"Hello, Miss. How may I help you today?"

"My friends…" Miranda started, then paused, looking down. "My friends were the ones in the burning building earlier… I… I just want to know how they are doing and if they are alive…"

The woman nodded. "Yes, of course. Follow me."

The two walked down a narrow hallway with little lighting. The town, as it soon came to her realization, was fairly poor, but at the same time they tried their best for even strangers. The woman opened the door at the end which led to a fairly large room with many people waiting inside. Some were even crying.

"Wait here," the woman said as she walked up to an older man with a handlebar mustache. They exchanged a conversation as Miranda walked over to a seat and sat down, fingers fidgeting. She was terrified out of her mind. If any of them had died, she would blame herself for it, and she knew it. She was weak, no matter how hard she tried. The woman approached her and gave her a soft smile. "Their condition is still unknown. If you would like, you can stay here and wait for them. Would you like a glass of water?"

"Yes," Miranda could hear her on voice crack as she spoke, "…please."

The woman nodded as she walked out of the room temporarily. Miranda sat still for about five seconds longer as her shoulders began to tremble lightly. The sun had finally managed to break through from the clouds, but she paid no attention as she buried her face in her hands.

'_If only I had been awake. If only I had been stronger…!' _she thought, trying not to sob too loudly. People were already looking at her strangely except those who weren't paying attention. _'If only I were not a complete failure, I would have been able to protect you guys…! If only I had been there, then maybe you guys would be okay…!'_

She coughed once amongst her quiet, strangled, suffocated sobs.

'_If only…'_

* * *

The sun faded behind the clouds again, the darkness closing in slightly. It seemed unreal to her, how the clouds always seemed to bring snow. It was still piling up, even. She wanted to go outside and get some fresh air, but the shaking of her knees prevented her from even standing up. Hours had passed. The worry and self-guilt had remained as she noticed the little golden ball of a golem was flying towards her. Even it looked sad. She gave it a weak smile. It paused in the air and landed on top of her head, wings sinking low as another sign of sadness.

"Ma'am?"

It was the man from behind the desk. His daughter, who was wearing a red jacket and a small hat, was by his side. Miranda looked up and blinked once. She didn't care if they noticed she was crying. She had all the more reason to. But right now, she knew what she had to do.

"Ma'am, I am forever grateful for what you have done," he continued. "My daughter is safe and sound, the inn of Hell is gone, and people re starting to look more and more alive, even with all of this snow. I just wanted to thank you and all of your friends… Where are they, anyways? Are they okay?"

Miranda swallowed hard before speaking. "We… I don't... know." She glanced at Allisa, noticing the brooch was holding her jacket closed. "…Sir… We need to talk about what had happened today. Your daughter… she's…"

* * *

There was a bright light, then nothing. He had felt pain before, he had always lived through it, but this was close to unbearable. Granted, he was a second exorcist, and thus he could regenerate at the cost of his life expectancy, but being burned half to death was not his idea of a good time. There were voices distant, voices far away. They were talking about different things. He didn't care. He looked up, seeing nothing, then looked down to see someone familiar. He didn't want to see him. He didn't give a damn about him anymore. Alma was dead. Alma was gone. And he had killed him under order of that woman, as much as he didn't want to.

The reflection of his friend shattered, a pile of dust in its wake. _Good, _he thought. _Good. Stay dead like you are supposed to. Che. I want nothing to deal with you anymore. Not that I can, anyways. _

_Then why do you hold onto me as if you miss me?_

_Shut up._

The dust vanished before him, scattering into the fading white that was turning to black. Burns were evident. They hurt. He needed to focus on something different or else they would be unbearable. But what else was there? The lotus, his time, the Order, the stupid people within it… How he wanted to kill Komui if he decided to make Komurin the fifth, how he wanted to strangle Baka Usagi for calling him 'Yuu-chan' and being annoying in general, how he wanted to break Allen's skull in for…

_Allen is going to be the Fourteenth soon._

_Che. I know._

_Aren't you going to kill him like you killed me?_

…

_The same way… you betrayed me?_

…_!_

_What? What is it? Do you hate me saying that? Do you hate me telling you the truth, Yuu?_

Kanda grinded his teeth together. Why was it that his own dreams yelled at him? And why were they discussing Allen, of all people? He turned his back on where he thought the voice was coming from and said nothing. Alma would probably never say that, but his mind was making him out to do so. What was his head trying to tell him? And did he even care what it was about? He could feel his own eyes squeezing themselves shut tighter, trying to block everything out. He didn't care.

_But you do care. You know that. I know that. Why are you trying to hide, Yuu? Does the truth bother you that much? Is it that you… are a coward? Or is it that you no longer have anyone to turn to anymore? Did your killing me hurt you that much? You CARE, Yuu. You care._

_I don't._

_Then why are you so worried about Allen?_

_I'm not._

_Really?_

There was a pause. Kanda's anger towards his own mind was growing more intense with each passing second. He took two more steps forward towards no where and looked up again. Still dark. The burns hurt. Someone was trying to get him to breath. He knew he would breath soon enough, in due time. He wished it was quicker, though. Anything to get away from the mirages of the past.

_I didn't hear a denial, Yuu._

_Che. Really. I don't give a shit about Allen._

_I'm shocked. You are still calling him by his first name. What does that mean?_

_It means nothing._

_Do you like him?_

_No._

_Oh. So… You love him?_

The statement shocked him into silence. He was rendered speechless by the stupidity of what Alma had just said. Or what his mind just said. He didn't give a damn either way, but what he had just said was sheer stupidity.

_Are you trying to make fun of me?_

_Nope. Just trying to make you realize something. You have always been slow, Yuu._

He had no reply to that. He was done with talking. He walked on ahead a few more steps before stopping. It was Allen, yes, but it wasn't. It was The Fourteenth, and beside him was Alma. The boy smiled strangely as he pointed to the possessed Allen Walker, as if he were trying to prove a point. Kanda frowned, annoyed. He needed to wake up, he just had to. Alma skipped over and grabbed Kanda's wrist before heading right in front of Allen. _You said you didn't give a shit, right? _Alma cocked his head to one side towards Allen. _Then why not kill him right now? Go ahead-- Take Mugen and cut him down, just like what you did to me. Not a big deal, right? After all, you apparently don't care._

Kanda blinked once as he noticed Mugen was drawn out and in his hand, as it always seemed to be. It seemed eager, like he generally was, to kill something, to do some damage, as if Allen were an Akuma. Kanda scowled as Alma, temporarily hating the boy for even being in his subconscious. He lifted the sword up above his head. _'Che. It's only the Fourteenth. Allen is the Fourteenth. But the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the British bean sprout.' _It was brought down upon Allen's head, the Fourteenth only grinning, as Mugen stopped short of cutting him in two. Alma rose an eyebrow, almost amused by this, and grabbed on the dull side of the blade and tried to push it down.

_The Fourteenth. It's your duty to kill him, Yuu. What's the big deal? Why aren't you killing him? _Alma's hand drew the blade down to Allen's neck, making it nick him a little. Kanda watched the blood ooze out from the small cut, running down to his collar bone and probably down his chest, but he couldn't see past the cloth he wore. _You never had this problem before. Why not just cut off his head? That would be a lot easier, right? Do it, Yuu. Go on._

'_Che! Why the hell am I hesitating?!' _Kanda could feel Mugen almost as shocked and confused as he was. Something was stopping him from killing him. _'What's going on with me?! Why can't I bring myself to…?'_

Alma pushed the blade a little bit more, making the cut on Allen's neck deeper. Allen's eyes seemed to grow a little wider, but the grin of the Fourteenth remained. Was it Allen and that damned Noah in the same consciousness? Would he be killing both? Alma frowned, then, with hard forced, pushed the blade, slicing the boy's neck and cutting the head off of the now-falling body. Kanda's eyes grew wide.

_There, see? Not hard, is it? _Alma walked back to the side of Kanda, watching the neck bleed out. Allen's head was turned away from them, his hair being stained by the pool forming. The white evaporated to a darker shade of red than Lavi's. _Easy, no? He's dead. Now we can just forget him and try to kill the Millennium Earl. That is what you want to do, right? You don't care about what happens to Allen. _He walked up and kicked the head further into the darkness. _He's just like me. You had to do it. No choice in the matter. One of these days, Komui or one of the others will tell you to do this. …So why do you look so upset?_

…_Shut up._

Alma paused before picking up Allen's body. _Hmm? Don't you not care? _

_Shut the fuck up before I kill you._

_Again, you mean? I'm hurt, Yuu. Really, I am. _He picked up the body and kicked it towards him. _While you're at it, kill him again, too. Unless of course you can't. Why is that, Yuu? Why couldn't you kill him when you easily killed me? Do you like him that much?_

His eyes snapped open to find himself in a small room. Two people were standing over him, both with wide eyes, as he sat up, breathing arduously. Everything hurt, but he didn't care. The people before him stood shocked, unmoving, until one recovered and asked, "H-How are you feeling, sir?"

Kanda didn't answer right off the bat. He looked around the room, not paying attention to anything until his eyes fell upon the person who had just asked that annoying question. He coughed, trying to keep himself in order so that he sounded at least a little bit polite. "…Fine. Thank you." He got up, much to the persons attending him surprise, putting on his boots before starting to walk out. He started to take the bandages off of his chest. Why were all doctors so annoying?

"But wait, your treatment isn't--!" one spoke, but Kanda put the bandages in his hand before grabbing his shirt. The man blinked. He was completely healed.

"Thank you," Kanda said before heading out of the door and into a hallway that was unfamiliar to him. He followed the way where many voices were coming from and found himself opening a door to see Miranda standing there, something shiny in her hands, and the man whom he had recognized as that man from behind the desk at the inn. He approached them, starting to hear the conversation between them. The little girl, Allisa, he remembered, was there as well, by Miranda's side.

"…worry, Daddy," she said, smiling. "Miss Miranda promised I would be okay. I think I would make a good exorcist, like she said… But… I will miss you so much, Daddy. I will miss you so much."

As the man and Allisa embraced, Miranda looked up to see Kanda. Her eyes widened as a small smile broke out on her face, walking towards him as Kanda frowned in annoyance. "Che. What's all this about?"

Miranda glanced over her shoulder and back to Kanda. "I was explaining how Allisa was the accommodator to the Innocence… And that she needed to come back to the Black Order with us…" she sighed lightly. "If you're okay, then I take that Lavi and Allen are, too? Are they with you?"

"…Che. What do you mean?"

"You don't… remember?"

Kanda paused, then it all rushed back to him. The crazy man had lit the house on fire, which was the reason why his chest was still stinging lightly from something that was like burns. Lavi and Allen were also in that building. He blinked once. If she had asked if they were with him, then that confirmed that this was a hospital, and that Lavi and Allen were also hurt. But how badly? He looked at Miranda after pretending to think a little while longer. "Che. A little bit. Wait…" he paused. "I thought you…" _'She must have woken up, then.' _he answered himself before continuing."…Che. How are we in the hospital, then?"

"I woke up," she started, "and the building was on fire. I got you and Lavi out okay, though you both were pretty badly burned. I didn't see Allen… And when Lavi told me he was in the center room, I got him, too. But he wasn't breathing. I still think that he isn't, because my Innocence…" she pulled out Time Record and activated it. "Allen's time… is still…" her voice trailed off. Tears welled up in her eyes. "He's probably…"

It took him a moment to realize what she meant. His eyebrows furrowed into a look of anger and a little bit of concern. "Che. Moyashi will live."

"H-Huh?"

He looked out the window vacantly that was to his left. He was avoiding eye contact with anyone for whatever reason. "I said, Moyashi will live. He's survived many things before, so I wouldn't say that he's dead. Besides, he's too annoying to die. And he is supposed to be the Destroyer of Time or whatever. The bastard has to live. Che." His hand subconsciously grabbed Mugen's hilt. It put him at ease a little bit before he looked back at Miranda. "I'm more worried about my next meal than whether or not he'll live."

She stared at him, confused. _'…He looks worried, though. I didn't think Kanda could get worried… Maybe I was right earlier, back at Hagar's house?'_

Allisa tugged on Miranda's shirt. "Miss! When it's time to go, can you get me back at Daddy's inn? I've never been on a train before! I can't wait!"

"Huh? Uh… Y-Yes, will do."

Allisa grinned as she grabbed her father's hand. The two walked out of the room, leaving a slightly confused Miranda and a partially uncharacteristic Kanda. They stood in silence for about two minutes until she looked at Kanda quickly. "Tomorrow--"

"--we're going to head home," Kanda interrupted. "If we have to, we'll take Baka Usagi and Allen on the train still injured. They can heal at the Order. It's just easier that way. And I'm not staying in this town any longer than I have to. This snow is making me sick. Che." With that, he headed towards the door. "Stay here and keep updated on their status. If they wake up and are talking to you, come get me. I'm going back to the inn to pack up their stuff."

Miranda nodded slowly as the Japanese man left, the door gently shutting behind him. She stared at the door a few moments longer. _'He really is acting strange. He wouldn't generally ask to tell him if they wake up or okay… I wonder if the burns did some damage to his head, too. But he seems okay…' _She sat back down and stared blankly out the window. The scenery was growing dark. How long had she been there? Was it really already evening? _'…Huh. I wonder what things will be like when we get home… And I wonder… if Kanda actually does like Allen… But that's insane. I mean, Kanda doesn't like anyone, really…' _She gave a hesitant look back at the door that he had left from. _'But then again, he yells at Allen more than anyone… and that could be a sign of liking someone…'_

* * *

He walked into the inn. It was fairly quiet, a few scattered customers here and there, but he paid no attention as he walked upstairs slowly. Everything was ticking him off at the moment. It was typical of him, but right then, it seemed worse than usual. He wanted to maim the stairs for creaking a tiny bit. He frowned and opened the door to their room. Baka Usagi's stuff was scattered on one side of the room, where as his things were neat and organized in a little corner. He grunted, sitting on the floor. He needed to meditate and clear his mind of everything. He just _had_ to, or else he was going to go insane.

He straightened his back and tried to think of nothing. All was quiet, but he had a distinct whamming headache, one he developed when he thought too hard. That damned Allen, he was becoming more and more of a growing pain.

'_Allen. Che. Allen this and Allen that, that damned bean sprout is just a stupid fucking moron whose better off dead,' _Kanda thought. _'Like him? Che! I can't even stand thinking about him! I'd rather die than ever even pretending to like him!' _He noticed that he was losing focus and punched the floor, his knuckles stinging as a result. _'Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I can't stand it, my head is going insane, my mind hurts. I just need a distraction. A distraction. Like what, though?' _He punched the floor again. _'Che. Why can't he just wake up so we can go home now? I just…' _He paused, then stood up. There was no point in meditating if he couldn't even clear out his head. He started cleaning stuff up, as annoying as it was. But he did say earlier that he would.

This was the most tedious mission he had ever done.

And the only reason for that was because of Allen.

* * *

Eleven pages. ^_^ Anyways, do you have one of those days when you think too much that you just want to punch someone? Yeah. I have. Anyways! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It is actually appreciated! And Merry Christma-Hannuk-Ka-Kwanza-Ka! See you in 16! --K.S.


	16. Confessions

Christmas was GREAT. Why? Because I got a nifty-keen TOP HAT. I am SO going to cosplay as the Millennium Earl when I get the chance! Look for me, okay? D Anyways, welcome to 16! That's my age! Which will change in less than two months! Ten pages of wonderful goodness! So! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 16 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

16. Confessions

Miranda paced frantically. Something bad had just happened. The doctors were rushing around because a patient wasn't breathing. She could have pulled out Time Record and looked at it to see what was going on, to see if it were either Allen or Lavi, but she didn't dare to. She was too afraid of the truth. Her nervousness almost got the best of her as she bit her lower lip, hard enough to make it bleed. Her hands clasped together, trying to pretend that none of this was happening, that they were back at the Order enjoying some food and laughing with Lenalee and Komui. Allen would have eaten the most amount of the food that was provided, while Lenalee served coffee for her older brother. Lavi would be probably braiding Kanda's hair and almost get killed for it, and Krory would show up later after sleeping for too long. She would enjoy a nice cup of tea that had orange-flavours. It would be wonderful.

She sighed at the little thought, almost a little reassured that they would be able to do that again as an entire family again, but the yell, "He's going into cardiac arrest!" snapped her out of it. She blinked, her worried and tired eyes watching them all rush into one of the rooms. The trembling came back. She pulled out the Time Record, no longer able to bare it. She had to do something. One of the circlets were missing. She had Kanda and someone else's, along with herself, but the last one was missing. She took in a deep breath, making sure that no one was watching her, and activated its ability.

_Please, Time Record. If that is Allen or Lavi, stop whatever is going on with them. Now!_

It reacted almost immediately, the clocks spinning and turning back time for only one person at that moment. She watched as it all rushed into the room that the doctors were in. Everything seemed to stand still for that moment, and then it returned back to normal. She looked down at the Time Record, noticing the circlet had come back. She sighed in relief, beyond happy. She did something useful, but only for a while. If she could just hold out for them to get back to the Order, then Matron would probably be able to help them more there than the doctors that were here.

Or, so she hoped.

She swallowed hard. Was everything going to be okay? So long as she had Time Record activated, it would. She nodded to herself. Yes, everything was going to be okay.

"Mir-Mir-chan!"

She blinked, slightly gasping, as she looked up to see Lavi and Allen, both fully 'healed' by the power of Time Record. She gave them that teary-smile before breaking down into sobs of joy. Allen and Lavi looked at each other, shrugged, then grinned at her, trying to get her to stop crying so hard. Each doctor was baffled-- To their knowledge, there should have been no was that they healed that quickly, and yet they were standing perfectly fine.

It took several minutes before Miranda quieted down, the same question "Are you sure you're okay?" coming out of her mouth. After about telling her the fiftieth time that they were indeed fine, she stopped and sighed. "I promised Kanda that I would tell him when you two woke up," she said, starting to lead the way out of the hospital, thanking anyone she saw. "I think he was really worried. Also, the--"

The sharp, abrupt laughter from both exorcists caused her to stop mid-sentence. Was it something she said? What caused them to laugh so hard? Allen wiped a tear from the corner of his eye while Lavi used the wall for his support. Miranda did not comprehend why they were laughing so hard. _'Was it something I said?'_

"Oh… My stomach hurts… Heh heh…" Lavi tried to calm himself down as the confused woman seemed to nearly trip over the carpet. "Yuu-chan, being worried about someone… That's a new one…" He glanced at Allen, noticing a frown tugging at his face. _'He was hoping that it really wasn't a joke,' _he thought, standing up straight. '_I doubt Yuu-chan would actually worry about him… But maybe…'_ A grin crossed his face. _'Maybe I can make this work. After all, Yuu-chan is slow, but then again, so is Allen…'_ His grin fell. _'There is no way I am gonna be able to do this all by myself…'_

"W-Well, there is several things I need to discuss." Miranda opened the door and allowed them all out. "F-For one, your injuries will return once I deactivate the Time Record, so I'm going t-to have to stay awake… For t-two, we have a new accommodator… S-She decided to c-come surprisingly well…" She tripped, landing face-first into the snow. She stood back up quickly, shaking her head from side to side. "Brr… Cold… H-Her father is probably still reluctant to let her go… She'll probably convince him… A-Am I the only one who finds it rather cold? L-Let's hurry up to the inn…"

The two nodded as they walked back to the inn, their faces turning red with each passing second. It really was cold. They entered through the door to see the man behind the desk was still not there. People were not even looking up anymore when they came in. It was almost depressing as the group walked up the stairs and stood silently in front of the door. Kanda was no doubt there, but none of them seemed to have the nerve to dare disturb the might-be-sleeping samurai. Allen swallowed down his fear as he opened the door, making a creaking noise to what could possibly kill them.

* * *

He had tried to fall asleep earlier, but to little success. He was tired of thinking and dealing with all of those people who just constantly annoyed him. He was on the verge of just knocking himself out for the sake of not thinking. It sounded like the best option right then. He picked up Mugen and, fairly quickly, tried to slam it on the back of his head, however the door opened before he could finish his movement. Allen and the rest blinked once, at first confused, then all came to their conclusions.

'_Is he trying to kill himself?!'_

'_W-Was he j-just sharpening his sword and t-testing it out?'_

'_Yuu-chan looks hungry… Was he about to kill us? Could he hear us come up the stairs and waited for us?!'_

The three of them stared at him with wide eyes. He simply glared at them and put Mugen back in its sheath, muttering something that none of them could hear. They just stated for a few moments longer before Allen dared to say anything. "Uhm, Kanda… Y-You had Mugen above your head… Er… What were you--?"

"Che. Do you ever shut up?"

"Ah…"

He was a lot angrier than usual, they could all tell that much, but for what reason still eluded them. Allen swallowed hard before trying again. "Ah, are you okay? I mean, er, you look a lot… angrier… Did something happen or…?"

"Shut up."

"No! I'm not going to shut up until you tell me what's going on with you! I've seen you mad before, but this is worse than usual! What's the problem?"

"Shut up!"

Miranda and Lavi stood dumbfounded by the two of them as they snuck towards a certain corner of the room where they thought they would be safe. At this rate, it would be inevitable that a fight would break out over this, and they had to be there to make sure that neither of them ended up killing each other. It was more of a precaution for Allen, because they knew he wouldn't kill Kanda, but the Japanese man was another story… He would have killed Allen without a shred of guilt. He would probably say that he turned into the Fourteenth and had to kill him. Lavi swallowed had, feeling a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. This was not good at all, but luckily, Miranda had her Time Record activated.

Even then, she would have to deactivate it at some point. And if Allen sustained fatal damage during this exchange… He watched as the argument grew fiercer between them. He couldn't help but to think that they really did argue like a married couple. A strange married couple, but a married couple none the less.

"…tell me what's wrong and I will leave you alone! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Che! And how many times do I need to tell you to leave me the fuck alone, Allen?! Or should I skin you and give you to that goddamn scientist as a present! And maybe I'll take your eyeballs and send them to Lenalee while I'm at it!"

"You're going to have to do more than that if you really want to kill me! Even if you take my skin and eyes, I will still fight you until you tell me what's wrong!" He activated Crown Clown as a precaution and glared at the twitching Japanese man, his hair tie slipping out and falling to the floor. It drifted slowly around him as Allen swallowed hard. How was he going to be able to fight someone that pretty? "You can cut off my arms and legs and head, but I'll still continue to fight! You know why?! Because I want to help you because I'm worried about you! Why won't you just tell me what's on your mind and get this over with already?! I'm tired of fighting with you!"

"Then lay off!"

"No!"

A sharp sound rung in everyone's ears as Kanda pulled Mugen out, glare becoming deadlier with each passing second. Lavi bit down on his tongue. Even if his head was yelling at him to stop them, he couldn't help but feel as if this were necessary for them both. Fighting had always been good between them in his eyes, somehow. "Moyashi… I will kill you right now if you don't leave me alone."

"God, you sound like a kid!" Allen remarked, blocking an attack landed by the familiar sword. "'Lay off', 'Leave me alone', you are even worse than a kid, you are a teenager who is a complete rock for a heart! You have never cared or were cared about by a single person in your entire life! No one really was there for you, were they?! Yes, Tiedoll and Marie and Daisya are all people who do or did like you, but do they like you enough to offer a helping hand? You don't even trust them, do you?!"

He blocked the next attack, but it still sent him flying into the wall. This was worse than fighting possessed Lavi… The swords parried, sparks literally flying off of both of them from the impact. Neither of them spoke. Miranda glanced at Lavi, whose hand was gripped on the handle of his hammer. She felt a sense of worry on his face. He knew as well as she did that they were possible going to go overboard. And Allen was starting to take it rather personally.

"Che! You're going to regret those words!"

"What? You're going to kill me?! You probably did that to everyone else who were close to you!"

Kanda stopped mid-swing, unblinking. Allen, who knew the attack was heading towards his head and had no chance to block it, had squeezed his eyes shut, but was surprised when he felt no pain. His eyes opened a little bit, trying to comprehend what had happened, and opened them completely. Lavi, who was mid-way there to stop the fight, also stopped, and Miranda was cowering, hiding her eyes. All was quiet as Kanda brought down his sword and put it back in its sheath, his eyes looking down on the floor.

_Well, Yuu? Why didn't you kill him? You had the opportunity right there. _

_I…_

_Prove it to me that you don't care about him. _Alma's voice resonated as clearly as Daisya's Charity Bell when it was being used for fighting. _Prove to me that I am wrong, Yuu, otherwise you are a liar, and you like him. It's clear to me now. _His voice almost did a panning effect as Kanda grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut. Alma was there to greet him with that awkward smile on his face. _He loves you also, Yuu. I can tell by his eyes. But, obviously, as you say, you don't care. _

_Che. You're a lot worse than him._

_I am a figment of your mind, Yuu-- A creation that you made. In order to keep my memory, in order to keep me close, you made me. You have no one to blame but yourself for that, and you know it. But lately, you've become a coward. You've hidden from everything that dares try to ask you--_

_Alma._

_Hmm?_

_You don't need to tell me… what I already know. Che. And I'm not a coward. If anything, he's the coward._

_There we go! That's the Yuu I know! Come on, Yuu! You can do it! Tell that Allen off or tell him you like him!_

…_You've got to be kidding me._

Alma pouted. _But Yuu, that was the entire purpose of this exercise. For you to confess how you really feel. I told you to prove me wrong. Go on and do it._

Kanda's eyes slowly opened as he felt all of their stares pressing upon him. He ignored Lavi and faced Allen, trying to keep his eyes level and glare evident, but it wasn't really working. It was possibly stuck between hate and confusion, along with doubt. He had no idea what he was doing. The British boy stared at him with worry written all over his face. His hand was still gripped on the handle of Mugen still-- Allen knew that he needed to be careful with his words or it would be all over. "…Kanda?"

_Do it, Yuu._

'_Hell, I don't even know. I don't like him, but I don't hate him, either… Someone tell me what the fuck is going on with me…' _Kanda groaned, which caused everyone else to jump.

_You like him! _Alma said in a sing-song voice. _You like him, you like him!_

_No._

_Right. You love him, you love him!_

_No!_

_You're in denial, Yuu._

_No! I am not!_

"Kanda?"

He snapped his head up, seeing Allen reaching for his face to see if he was okay. He stepped back out of instinct and tightened his grip on Mugen. Allen's hand fell back down to his side as he looked away, chewing on his bottom lip. Kanda hadn't a clue of as to what to do. He needed to say something before it became extremely awkward, more than it already was. Lavi took one step back and just watched as the man opened his mouth, closed it, then opened again, words falling out of his mouth. "Che. I think it was yesterday when it happened, I can't remember. Maybe it was this morning…" His gaze shifted to the window. It was darker than he remembered. Night already? Or had it been like that for a while? "…But I remember it clearly. Che. Do you? Remember what I said before heading out to the inn? About what had happened. When you… kissed me."

The shallow nod was the answer. Lavi sat beside Miranda, hammer still out just in case this turned out the wrong way. Kanda frowned.

"What was that about? What did you mean by 'that wasn't just a dream'?"

He was trapped. His back was to the wall and Kanda was standing in front of his with his eyes staring down upon him, searching for answers. Lavi and Miranda looked like they weren't inclined to move and help him at all. It was game over in this matter. He swallowed hard. "Well… I was… I was…" _'I have to lie. It's my only way out.' _"I was dreaming about… Lenalee…" He feigned shyness and the look of embarrassment whole speaking, hoping to convince him that it really was about Lenalee. "…and I thought you looked like her for a split-second. Plus I was yelling at you for calling me 'Moyashi'."

"Bull!"

Allen glared at Lavi who, out of the kindness of his heart, pointed out Allen's lie and started having a coughing fit like he never said it. It was so obvious, even to Kanda. Allen began panicking. Now what?"

"Che. What did he mean by that?"

The pause made it obvious to him. Allen had a dream about him and was kissing him. A feeling of disgust hit Kanda like a brick. Allen… Allen loved… "What the fuck. Che! I always knew you were annoying, but this seriously tops everything you have ever said or done to me! You disgust me."

"Wai-- Let me explain-- I don't--"

A pressure around his neck silenced him. He was being strangled. "You have the _nerve_ to try to 'love' me?! Che! What's next, you no longer being hungry?! You not becoming the Fourteenth?! The Earl being a good guy?! _You have the NERVE!"_

_Keep going, Yuu! You're doing good!_

Allen's gasping became worse as the struggles began to diminish. Lavi held back for a little longer. _'Do something, Allen,' _he thought. _'Say something.'_

"…I…"

"What makes you think I'll listen to you now?!" The grip grew tighter around his neck.

"… Yuu…"

It came out muffled and cracked, but it still managed to reach Kanda's ears and caused a chain reaction that no one thought possible. He let go of Allen quickly and skidded back, eyes shocked wide, and tripped and fell onto the floor. He saw stars forming around his head, the first sign of a concussion, before groaning. Allen coughed and recovered quickly before running over to Kanda's side. "Are you okay?"

_Yuu, what was that all about? You completely acted out of character!_

"…Shut up…" he told both as images swam of Allen's face looking worried kept bothering him. "…You annoy me… _ugh! _So much…"

"I was just making sure that you're okay…"

_But it's true, Yuu-- You are acting so weird…_

"I said… shut up…"

Allen frowned, which quickly turned into a pout that made him look like a sad puppy. "I was only wondering how you were… But fine, whatever, see if I care…" He got up and looked over to Lavi, who was grinning widely and giving him a thumbs-up. Allen wanted to skewer him in the stomach. He sighed, then looked down at Kanda again before frowning again. "Do you want help?"

"Che. Not yours."

Allen couldn't help but smile at that as he sat down beside him. He wanted to lay down beside him and relax, but it was still in question whether or not they were still on good terms or not. He closed his eyes while he heard Lavi and Miranda sneak out of the room practically unnoticed. Kanda frowned.

_Yuu… Why are you being so lenient on killing him?_

_Because I… can't kill him. Che. I don't understand it myself, but I can't do it. I just can't bring myself to cut his head off… Or even nick him a little. I just… can't._

_Are you saying that you care about him?_

_Che. No. I'm saying I can't kill him or bring myself to hurt him. There's a difference, idiot._

There was a silence after that. It was an awkward silence, one that he wanted to break, but neither Allen nor Alma were speaking. And if he said a word, he could set off something that he didn't want to discuss, something that he didn't want to surface. Maybe later, but not now, not when everything was still being revealed about Allen, not if he needed to know anything more than he already did. He opened his eyes slowly to see Allen was looking away, staring vacantly towards some unknown distance. He only ever did that when he was thinking.

Thinking? Allen could think? Kanda started to laugh and tried to swallow it down, but failed as a snort came out. Allen snapped out of his train of thought and looked at the slightly-laughing exorcist in shock. His eyes widened and couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Kanda? Kanda? Are you okay? You're… Are you _laughing? _Holy-- I never knew you were_ capable _of _doing_ that!"

"Shut up," Kanda muttered. "It's not like it matters."

"What were you laughing about?"

"Che. None of your business."

"C'mon, tell me!"

"No!"

"If you don't tell me, then I'll kiss you."

"Che!" Kanda grimaced, seeing the creepy grin on Allen's face which meant what he said was true. He paused, which caused Allen to raise an eyebrow and cock his head to the side out of confusion. The silence made him more certain of his theory and caused the white-haired boy to blush lightly across his cheeks and across his nose. Kanda noticed and frowned. "…I was thinking about how you looked like you were thinking and part of me thought that you were able to think. Che. It just made me laugh, that's all." He rolled over onto his side away from Allen, trying to stop himself from yelling at his head. He had laughed and he had told Allen that. Worst of all, he didn't deny it.

'_Fuck. My head is going crazy.'_

"Are you going to sleep?"

Kanda paused. Maybe if he just stayed silent, he would go away and go after Lavi and Miranda. He took in deep breathes, feigning sleep, and heard the boy sigh. He relaxed his body and closed his eyes, actually wanting to sleep. There was another sigh from the boy, but Kanda could not feel the pressing stare on his back. Allen thought it over again and again, fully-aware that Kanda was probably faking sleep and would kill him if he dared to try, but it was the best way to see if his other theory was true. Swallowing hard, he laid down beside him and, carefully, wrapped an arm around him. Kanda immediately stiffened.

'_Oh… no, I am so dead,' _Allen thought as he could feel the anger emanating from the man who was against people touching him.

"What. Are. You. Doing?!" Kanda wanted to yell out the words, but his voice cracked in the process, leaving an incredibly high whisper instead. Allen was fear-stricken into place, unable to move the arm that was coiled around the man's chest-- It did the opposite and tightened. "If Baka Usagi comes back, I'll never hear the end of it! Get off of me!"

"Wait. That's all you're worried about? Getting seen by Lavi?"

_Ooh, he got you good, Yuu!_

_Che. No idea what you're talking about._

_You didn't yell at him for hugging you-- You yelled at him because you thought the redhead would come in and see you two cuddling. Yuu, I think your feelings are starting to show._

_What feelings?!_

"Kanda?"

The man stopped the argument inside his head abruptly and tried to speak, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was "Che". Allen merely just stared at the back of his head, noticing he wasn't moving away from him. His arm was still draped over his chest, too. Shouldn't Mugen be coming out and killing him? Shouldn't he be pinned up against a wall, crying out for help? He blinked, shocked, and closed his eyes half-way. Kanda was acting out of character, but then again, so was he. He smiled at that thought before closing his eyes and sighing, indicating that he was on the brink of sleep.

_Yuu…?_

Kanda didn't respond to the voice inside his head that time. His head hurt, and he wanted to sleep more than anything. He had neither the time nor the energy to fight with Allen, and besides, he could kill him in the morning.

'_In the morning,' _he agreed to himself, _'in the morning.'_

* * *

I was getting complaints about how their relationship wasn't progressing. It was, really! I just progressed it a lot, I think! I know it's wrong… So out of character… -sigh- But how else am I going to make this work?! XD Anyways, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! See you in 17! --K.S.


	17. Chapter 17

Okay, I know I haven't updated in a while. I am sorry for that, it's just I have been having this thing called WRITER'S BLOCK. It's terrible! I haven't been able to sit down and work on anything! That is, until I got the Final Fantasy 8 sound track. Heh heh. Anyways, I deleted this so many times… And this is what came of it… I hope you don't hate me. ^_^ Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 17 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

17.

It was quiet until the next dawn. He couldn't even remembered if he dreamed anything, but there was something that did happen. He just didn't know what. Everything hurt, and Mugen, though it was a little away in front of him, seemed to glow with indecision. The room seemed fogged, the soft hues and colours blending into one, enough to make the already-tired man's eyes hurt.

A stifled noise came from behind him, one that sounded all too familiar and yet had something distant to it. Kanda stiffened. Allen, the dumb, naïve British kid, was still holding him close. The grip that wrapped around his chest tightened ever so slightly, a warm breath spreading across the back of Kanda's neck. The fine hairs on the back of his neck seemed to shrink as goose-bumps formed, spreading almost to his shoulders. On instinct, he bit his lower lip. What in the seven Hells was going on with him? He shrugged Allen off, causing the boy to frown in his sleep, while Kanda grabbed Mugen, staring at it, confused. How had it managed to get out of its sheath? He could have sworn that he had put it away, but apparently not.

The scowl embedded on his face grew before panic settled in. Why was Mugen out? He paused, then turned slowly around, wondering if this was actually a dream and if he was indeed still sleeping. Nothing stood out, nothing was out of the ordinary. He glanced at Lavi's bed. The redhead was sleeping soundly, mumbling a few words here and there about a girl he was undoubtedly fantasizing about. Miranda was no where to be seen. She had her room, after all. He shifted a glance towards the door. Nothing there, either.

Mugen seemed to pulse frantically. Something was wrong, and he was missing it. He gasped soundlessly as Allen sat up, yawning, rubbing his eyes like a child would after a good night's sleep. He grimaced. What was Mugen so worried about?

"Mmph…" Allen stood up, then turned towards Kanda, an eerie grin forming on his face. The eyes. The silver eyes the boy had were different. The air around the Japanese man suddenly grew cold as the boy approached him. "Lovely morning, isn't it? The sun will rise in about two hours, unless of course it's cloudy again. That would be terrible, wouldn't it, Exorcist?"

Kanda's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

At that, the boy sighed, eyes gazing towards the window. "Must I tell you everything? You should already know." He turned back, running a hand through his white hair and brushing it back behind his ear. He walked towards Kanda, who was in fighting position. He moved the blade away and pressed a hand up against his chest, grin forming. "I am what the Earl wants back. I am what some call The Fourteenth, though, they do not know that I want to become the Millennium Earl myself." His arms laced through Kanda's defenses and brought him into a tight hug, all but a whisper reaching the taller man's ears. "I am nothing but a memory. That is, until I can control this body once and for all. I assure you, it won't be too long now. No, not long at all."

Kanda didn't move as he whispered out harshly, "Let go of me."

He chuckled lightly, almost too whimsically, as a hand grabbed the long black hair, causing the man to rear his head back, wincing. "_You_ do not tell _me _what to do, Exorcist. _I _tell _you _what to do."

'_What the hell am I doing? I should be fighting him, not letting him waltz all over me like I'm some kind of joke!' _His eyes focused back to the boy, who was currently running his tongue over his own lips. _'That isn't Allen! Move! You're my arm, you're my body! So move! Move!'_

His hands twitched slightly as the Fourteenth pushed him back into the wall, his eyes roaming up and down the lengths of Kanda's body. A grin formed, one that resembled the incarnation of the Devil's, before he whispered, "Is it difficult to see one you trusted turn into your enemy?"

…_Yuu…We were… friends…_

'…_No…!' _He grimaced. _'No, I'm not going to let him play games with me. Any moment now, either Baka Usagi or Miranda will help. Any moment now.'_

The Fourteenth used his hands with careless abandon, not caring what they were touching or the fact that he was touching an Exorcist. It was amusing how the man seemed to think that he stood a chance against the likes of him. Not just amusing, but fun. "The boy whose body I am using, did you all honestly think he could resist against me for so long? He used up all of his energy fighting me down, fighting Akuma, fighting my brother… And for what purpose? Just to lose to me. He's going to betray you. In fact…" his hand cupped the older man's face, causing them to see eye-to-eye. Kanda couldn't look away. "…He already has."

_You chose… them… the science department… the Order…_

'_Stop it…'_

…_over me…?_

Kanda growled angrily before throwing the Fourteenth off and onto the floor, causing him to hit his head hard on the wood. His breathing was hard and heavy, but he didn't care as Mugen glowed with anticipation. Allen's eyes looked up at him, and though they weren't Allen's right then, it still was him. If Allen didn't regain control soon, he would have no choice but to kill him.

_Are you…_

"Clever," The Fourteenth remarked. "Acting as if you were powerless until I let my guard a little bit down during a split-second. No hesitation at all, even in your friend's body… Now _that's_ what I call devotion!" He grinned as he stood back up. "Come on, then, Exorcist! Entertain me before I go out to kill my brother!"

A bead of cold sweat ran down the side of his face. Entertain him? This guy was crazy, and if nothing else, pure evil. "Che. Any day, Noah!"

Mugen felt good in his hands as he raised the sword above his head. The Fourteenth stood there, grinning casually, as if he had expected him to do so. Kanda frowned. Whatever he was planning, he would cut through it like he did with Level One Akuma-- Easily.

"Ichi--"

…_betraying me?_

"--gen!"

"…Kanda?"

The spirits formed out of the man's sword as Allen's eyes grew far too wide to be normal, his mouth gaping open as they headed towards him far too quick for him to block. Kanda realized what the Fourteenth had planned, but there was no way to stop it then. A last split-second decision caused Allen to quickly activate Crown Clown's cloak and deflected it barely. Kanda glared at him, though there was a look of uneasiness in his eyes. "Che. About time you came back out, Moyashi."

"It's Allen-- What were you even doing? What happened?"

Kanda paused, as if fighting two sides of him, then put Mugen away and ignored the question all together. He stared out the window for a few seconds, seeing nothing but white and black, and sighed, sitting on the floor and decided then to meditate. Allen's face was strained with worry and curiosity. He had no recollection of what happened, and it seemed clear to him that he was fully awake…

"No--!" A horror-filled gasp overcame him as both hands covered his mouth in shock. "…I… It couldn't have been… Kanda…" He stared at him as the man just closed his eyes and tried to tune him out. "…I wasn't… him again, was I? Did I hurt you? Are you o--?"

"Che." Kanda's head rose and glared at him. "Don't ask questions about me when it's you that you should be worrying about." He reclined on the floor then, turning away from him. The wood was cold, but he didn't care. "You apparently becoming more and more of that damned Noah. I always knew that you were annoying. Che. Go away and leave me alone or go bug Miranda. She's probably still awake. Why do you always have to bug me?" he frowned. "I hate you a lot, and yet… Che. Go."

'…_But I want to spend time with you, Kanda…' _Allen thought disdainfully, staring at the long tresses of black hair covering an area of the floor. He swallowed painfully hard, resisting the urge to go ahead and kiss him again. It was obvious that Kanda didn't want that, and probably would never want that. He was going to have to back down, no matter how much he wanted to. He nodded, even though Kanda couldn't see it, and opened the door quietly before closing it shut.

Kanda stared in a straight line ahead of him and paid attention to nothing but the sound of Allen's feet hitting the wood floor until it faded away. Silence filled his ears instead as he stood up and laid back down on the bed instead. He took off his boots and let them hit the floor with a heavy 'thud' before staring up at the ceiling. His eyes closed, his mouth parted slightly, and a sigh escaped his lips. He was so tired of dealing with everyone. He could not wait until he got home. That was official.

His own ears let him down as something began to approach him. There was nothing there, as far as Kanda was concerned, so why bother listening to anything in the first place?

"Kanda?"

The man jolted up as Allen placed a hand over his mouth to prevent him from making any noise. "Ssh, it's just me. I thought about what you said and… I'm sorry that I annoy you so much." His voice was nothing more than a whisper, and Kanda had to strain his ears just to hear him. "I want to apologize if I made everything awkward in between us, and I just wanted to say…" He paused, as if trying to find the right words to say, then continued onwards. "I just wanted to say sorry and that you can just forget about it. What I said, I mean. We can pretend, when we get back, that none of this ever happened. Okay?"

There was a pause in between the two of them as Allen let his hand drop and his eyes falls to the floor. Kanda sat up, staring at the boy with a confused look on his face. What the hell was he talking about? The entire kiss thing? And the fact that Allen liked him? This was getting beyond ridiculous. "Che. I already had forgotten about it. Doesn't bother me." With that said, he laid back down, eyes avoiding him. "You aren't that memorable of a kisser."

"O-Oh. I see."

Silence overwhelmed the room again as Allen clutched the fabric of his pants. He didn't want this. He wanted to say that he cared about him more than anything, and, as cheesy is sounded, that he… His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the sun rising at the horizon. Lavi would wake up soon, and afterwards, they would get the little girl and get on the train back to the Black Order.

Then everything that happened in this town would be all but forgotten.

He wondered if Kanda even cared if it would be forgotten. The answer was probably not. It didn't concern him one bit. Allen bit hard on his lip, enough to draw blood. It pooled in the new scab and left a trail on his chin, forming a drop that inevitably fell onto his hand. He didn't even notice. He got off of the bed and watched Timcanpy fly in, the little golden golem landing on the floor, as if he read Allen's mind.

'…_Might as well get some sleep before needing to wake up,' _he thought before lying his head on the wooden floor. _'Then we'll head home.'_

* * *

He sighed in content before stretching out and relaxed, looking around him. He had slept absolutely wonderfully. His eyes scanned around the room and noticed Kanda was sleeping in the bed next to him and Allen was sleeping on the floor. Last time he had checked, the two of them were snuggled next to each other, both content. And now they were separated. He didn't like that one bit. Frowning, he got up and wanted to wake Kanda up, but instead he got a better idea.

"Oh, Lavi, you are so evil!" he told himself as he sneakily picked Kanda up from his bed and laid him down next to Allen. He took the Japanese man's arm and draped it over Allen's waist, then wrapped the other one around his neck. Perfect! Lavi grinned to himself, then hurried and got dressed. He put all of his items together in a bag, then did the same for Allen and Kanda. They were already to go. Now, all that needed to happen was for them to wake up.

He walked out of the room and down the stairs to get something to eat when he noticed Miranda and the little girl talking to the man behind the desk. He grinned widely at them all as he approached them. "Hey! Are you all ready go, ah?"

Miranda gasped and smiled hesitantly at Lavi. "W-We were just talking about that…"

Lavi took notice to how the man and his daughter looked. Both had such sad, yet happy, expressions on their faces. They were talking to one another about being safe or something like that. Lavi didn't listen in that much-- It would have been rude to do so. Instead, he focused his attention on Miranda. "So! When are we gonna start headin' home, hunh? Because I am dying to get back there."

The nervous woman looked around as she spoke. "The tr-train is supposed to be at the station in an hour. I-I figured we should leave in about half an hour and we could there quickly u-using your hammer." She looked apologetically at him. "S-Sorry if I jumped to conclusions, b-but I thought it would be best that way…"

"Meh, don't sweat it!" the redhead grinned widely at her. "If that's the case, then I should probably wake the two lovebirds upstairs up, huh? You get Allisa all ready and eat something. We'll be down soon." He grinned before running back up the stairs and towards the room, opening the door quietly. The two were still in the same position as before, which made him grin wider. Those two were so easy to mess with, it was like eating ice cream for breakfast.

He approached the two carefully before deciding to wake Allen up first. He tapped him gently on the shoulder, saying, "Allen, we need to get going soon. The train's gonna leave in about an hour. Wake up."

At first, the boy didn't budge. His only reaction was scrunching up his face in disapproval, then his eyes slowly opened. He noticed Lavi grinning at him with a warm smile, his emerald eye shut in the expression. He smiled haplessly back at him and started to move when he felt the arms of another wrapped around him. It couldn't have been… He turned his head back enough to notice Kanda was there. Sleeping.

It was hard to believe.

In fact, he thought he was still asleep until he pinched himself. Kanda Yuu was cuddling him. _Kanda Yuu_, the man who said he hated him last night, was fucking _cuddling_ him. He couldn't understand at all. What the hell happened to change his mind? He turned his head a little bit more and, not caring that Lavi was probably watching them, brushed his lips up against the older man's own. It was short and sweet, but that was all, nothing more. He swallowed thickly and was bound to turn his head towards Lavi, but a whispered voice said, "Wait."

Lavi certainly didn't hear it, but Allen did. He stopped, then glanced back the still-sleeping man out of confusion. Kanda's head moved closer and whispered, "Tell him to leave."

Shocked, Allen turned back towards Lavi and gave him a sheepish grin. "We'll be down soon, promise. Kanda wants to sleep a little bit longer, that's all."

"Alright," the redhead nodded. "Make sure to be down in thirty minutes, okay?"

Allen could barely breath the word as Lavi started to leave. "Okay."

The door closed behind him and Allen could feel his body tense up. It was obvious that Kanda wasn't awake yet, even to a blind man, but he was at least a little bit functioning if he was able to talk. His breathing quickened as he felt Kanda's grip grow tighter around him. This was unreal. It wasn't a dream, either. It was really happening. He squirmed a little bit and faced Kanda, wondering what the Japanese man was thinking.

If he was even thinking at all.

'_No. I can't take advantage of him like this, it just isn't right…' _he thought, slowly breaking free of Kanda's grasp. _'He's still sleeping. He could think that I'm someone else… That's the only plausible explanation.' _

Even though he thought that, he wished that his logical conclusions weren't true.

The next minute or so felt like a century-- He didn't know what Kanda wanted, nor did he understand what his motives were for sending Lavi away and leaving the two alone. By themselves. He shuddered lightly at the images that ran through his head before opening his eyes again slowly, staring at the older man before relaxing. Maybe he was just talking in his sleep? He pushed that thought away. No, he did say to get Lavi away… "Kanda… What is it that you wanted?"

At first, Kanda said nothing, his expression staying serene. Then it turned into a scowl, his eyes opening and glaring at the British Exorcist. Allen almost flinched at the look when he realized Mugen was up against his neck. "You. We need to talk about… us. Listen to me… What you said last night… And what I said last night…" he sighed, as if talking about the issue at hand was more annoying than eating a plate of cabbage-flavored soba noodles. "…Che."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "…Kanda, what are you trying to say?"

Mugen was moved away from his neck, the scowl growing on Kanda's face. _'I can't believe this,' _he thought. _'Alma, what the hell will this gain?'_

_You'll see. You said so yourself that you regretted saying that to Allen._

'_That's not true. All I said was that… Well… Okay, shut up, but still! It's not like I like the bastard, and if I said that… He'll know something is wrong! Che. And fuck this, I'm just going to say something else.' _The scowl became a glare of death. Allen shuddered at the look. _'I don't even understand…'_

_You know you like him, Yuu-- You're just in denial. _

'_No.'_

"Kanda!" Allen snapped his fingers in front of the distracted man's face. "What were you going to say?"

He swallowed hard. "Che… About… the entire… I lied, okay?" Allen gave him a confused look meaning that he didn't know what he was getting at. "Last night. Remember what I said? The entire thing about the kiss…"

Allen's mouth went dry. _'Oh God, oh God, oh God, he's not going to say it, is he? No, he would never-- But the way he's looking so embarrassed, could he…?'_

"Last night!" Kanda growled, more annoyed than ever. "What I meant to say about that was that I actually--!"

"Yuu-chan, Allen!" Lavi came in with a sing-song voice and a grin plastered on his face, disrupting what Kanda was going to say. "We've decided to leave now, okay? Are you two ready and awake, or should we just leave you behind, 'cause we're leaving now. Hurry up and get your bags, ah?"

With that, Lavi skipped out of the room, leaving the two dumbfounded Exorcists to remain holding each other in the midst of Kanda's discombobulated conversation. Allen looked at him, an indication for him to keep going, but Kanda shook his head and immediately broke away from Allen. "Che. Forget it. It's not like it was anything important for either of us."

"Wait--"

Kanda had already grabbed his bag and left the room, leaving an utterly disappointed Allen. He was hoping with all of his heart that maybe, maybe, Kanda might have actually loved him. He was hoping to hear those words, but no, Lavi had to come in and ruin it for him. He pouted. He knew he couldn't blame the redheaded Exorcist, but it still seemed so unfair. Part of him wondered if Lavi had done that on purpose…

He picked up his bag and sighed, leaving the room after making it look better, and walked down the stairs to notice all of them were gone. He blinked. Lavi wasn't kidding, was he? He ran out the front door after quickly bowing at the man behind the desk and thanking him for his hospitality. He ran through the snow and saw the group fifty feet in front of him. He tried to catch up, about to yell out to them, but tripped and fell face-first into the snow. He groaned. _'…Life is against me, isn't it…?'_

He chased them down to go to the train station. _'I want to know what he was going to say,_' he thought as he reached his group of friends. _'…I will find out when we get back to the Order. That is, if I make it through the train ride.'_

* * *

Woo-hoo! Chapter 17, done! I also took the liberty of editing the first ten chapters of this story so that they are more reader-friendly. Anyways! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! See you all in, HOLY GOD, 18! --K.S.


	18. Truth

Hello! Chapter 18 here, brought to you from a… hospital. Again. Okay, seriously, my health really freaking SUCKS. But that aside… I'm wicked tired these days, but I have a laptop, and you guys are wicked patient with me, so you know what? Happy Birthday to me. (My birthday is the third of February.) So! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 18 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

18. Truth

Miranda, Lavi, Kanda, Allen, and the little girl all managed to fit in one of the compartments of the train. Allisa sat comfortably on Miranda's lap as she could feel the tension between Allen and Kanda grow. It had been two hours, and no one, _no one, _had said a word. Even Allisa had remained silent. The older woman bit her lower lip, looking back and forth between the two Exorcists. Lavi had managed to fall asleep, making the situation worse, because he was the one who generally started conversations.

Now she was left with the burden.

She coughed quietly as the little girl started to nod off, her big eyes closing in such a precious manner that would have been more than enough to smile at. But Miranda couldn't find herself to do that, her eyes growing tired from just looking at her. She had to stay awake, though, for the sake of her friends, until they got back to the Order. Her eyes slumped once, and she snapped them awake out of desperation. Finally, she couldn't take anymore of the silence. "Uhm… M-Me and Allisa are going to go explore the train." Allisa's eyes snapped open as she turned to look at the fidgeting older woman. "W-We'll just leave you two alone…"

Allen gave them a pleasant smile as Kanda said nothing while the two left the room. He knew better than anyone that she was trying to give them some space. Anyone with a brain could figure out that the room was a little bit too tense for their liking. But even so. He sighed, then glanced at the Japanese man, his glare managing to get deeper when he realized that Allen was staring at him. He tried to ignore it at first, but it turned out he couldn't. "Che. What the hell do you want, bean sprout?"

He paused, then sighed. "Kanda. We need to get this clear, okay? About the situation with us, I mean."

Great. The bean sprout wanted to talk. A groan managed to escape his lips as his back pressed up against the seat, sighing heavily. His eyes finally managed to peel themselves away from the window and towards the British Exorcist, though his glare did not lessen in strength. Allen swallowed hard. Was he doing the right thing by bringing it up now? Well, Miranda was away and Lavi was asleep… What other opportunity did they have?

He cleared his throat. "This morning. You were going to say something?"

A long silence enveloped the room as Kanda couldn't find the right words to say. 'Cornered' was one way to put it. There was no where to run anymore, and the only options he had to distract the conversation, Miranda and Lavi, were currently unavailable. Or so he thought. The redhead chuckled inside his head as he feigned breathing that was that of a sleeping person's. These two were beyond funny. They were down-right _hysterical._

"Che." He knew it was over. The only options left was to tell the truth or to lie. And, obviously, the truth was out of the question. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Allen. Whatever it was, it was probably not important."

'…_! There!'_

He tried to contain his discovery by calming himself down before speaking. "If that's true… If you really meant what you said right there, Kanda," Allen shifted, leaning forward as if he were interested in something, "then you probably, undoubtedly, you wouldn't have just called me by my name again." He watched as the man flinched. He was dead-on target. "It was something important, wasn't it?" Another flinch. The British boy leaned closer. "C'mon, _Your Highness, _stop being so embarrassed-looking and just tell me. Or is speaking about your feelings too… 'unlady-like'?"

A snarl bounced off every wall in their compartment as Kanda shot a deadly glare at Allen. "Say that again. I _dare_ you."

"Which part?" Allen's grin was hidden behind a mask of irritation. "Your Highness or unlady-like? Or do you prefer Princess Kanda?" Mugen was becoming unsheathed, but that didn't stop Allen one bit. "Princess Yuu? Her Highness demands to be called that huh?" The blade stuck into the wall that just barely grazed his cheek, a small cut being formed and bleeding a little bit down the side of his face. "Or maybe even Kanda Yuu, Queen of the Transvestites?"

Lavi could barely hold in his laughter as Kanda pulled back his sword and aimed for the white-haired-boy's heart. Crown Clown activated in time to stop the blade. "We can fight when we get back to the Order, Your Highness, but not here. This is not our train."

"Fuck the goddamn train, bean sprout!"

"Calm down." Allen grabbed the blade of Mugen, cutting his hand open and pushing the blade back to Kanda. The Japanese man hid the gasp that wanted to come out of his mouth. "What if Allisa comes in and hears what we're arguing about? She'll probably get scared of you… More than she already is. Control your angry, Your Highness."

"I will, once you stop calling me that, Moyashi-Hime."

"Is that a pet name?"

Mugen was ever so close to stabbing the boy repeatedly, but somehow, Kanda had managed to control the urge. His hand twitched as he grabbed the own cloth of his pants, seething angrily. "Che. You wish." His eyes retreated towards the window once more, the levels of annoyance far too high for him to stand. If he pretended to not care, he would leave him alone, correct? But then again, this was Allen. "And besides…" He doubted Allen would ever let it die, but he said it anyways. "…so what if it was?"

Lavi bit his lower lip and turned his head to one side, pretending to mumble. He couldn't laugh in the middle of this, not when this was just getting good. Allen paused, a look of shock on his face, while the Alma-illusion inside Kanda's head was clapping. Kanda chose to ignore it.

Allen took a few more moments to recover before he dared to say a word. "Wh-What's that supposed to mean?"

"Che."

"That's not an answer, Your Highness."

"Does it look like I care?"

"You have to listen to your subjects, Your Highness."

"According to what you said earlier, doesn't that make you a transvestite, Moyashi?"

"_Pfwah!" _Lavi broke into a terrible fit of laughter as the two stopped and glared at the idiot redhead. He rolled over, tears forming in his eyes, as he tried to make something up. "…Heh heh… Yuu-chan… that dress… D-Don't kill me!" He put his hands up temporarily as he pretended to have a panicked look on his face before his hands dropped back to his sides and his head rolled over again, mumbling a few more words before he thought it was safe. Luckily for him, the two bought it and continued their conversation.

"…I'm not a transvestite," Allen said calmly, still eyeing the "sleeping" apprentice Bookman. "I was joking, actually. But really, we're seriously digressing from the actual thing I wanted to talk about." He leaned back into the seat, sighing. "I know it was something important, so why won't you tell me what it is?"

"I told you, it's nothing important. Lay off."

"But it is, Kanda-- That's how we got onto to the topic of the royalties." He picked up his pencil and sighed, scribbling a few notes down in the folder of their mission. He needed to get the details down before he forget by the time he would get to Komui. He put it aside afterwards, then stared the Japanese man down in an effort to make him give up. "Come on, Kanda-- I know you want to. What's holding you back? You could always just tell me off, if you wanted to."

Lavi bit down his tongue from making any remarks. He wanted to hear what was going to happen next. He knew as well as Kanda that he was cornered, and that there was no way out of this one. Not anymore. He lost his chance. Kanda swallowed with slight difficulty as his gaze matched up to Allen's. He wasn't going to let him know. Ever. "Che. Fine then. This is me… Telling you off." His gaze immediately snapped away from the British boy in an attempt to make it seem that his answer was final. Allen could see through it.

For what seemed to be a year, the room was silent, only the quiet sounds of Lavi's breathing caused any stir of sound . Allen hesitated a moment longer before finally breaking it. "Is… that so?"

"Che."

"Not an answer."

"Yes," Kanda glared heavily at the boy, "it is so. Satisfied?"

'_No.' _Allen frowned, then seemed to have a slight bit more sense of irritation. "You know something, Kanda? I think you're in denial."

"And I think your brain lost several hundred brain cells from this previous mission."

"Yeah, yeah. Insult me as much as you want. It's just proof of your denial."

"Proof?" Kanda rose from his seat, the volume of his voice increasing rapidly. "Proof?! Based on what logic?!"

"This," Allen pointed to the man, smiling 'sweetly', "is my proof, Kanda. Your strange behaviors. You calling me 'Allen' instead of 'bean sprout'. The number of times you have let me live when I _should _be dead. You telling me to wait when Lavi left the room. Overall, it's very clear that you're in denial of _something. _It might not necessarily be about this situation. If it isn't, tell me, and I'll let go of it, but until then, I'm going to keep bothering and badgering you about it."

"Che."

Allen paused, his grey eyes staring deep into Kanda's. Neither were inclined to move as their fight seemed to have an impasse that did not seem as if it were going to go away at any point in the near distant future. Allen wanted to change that. He wanted to change that more than anything. He willingly edged closer towards Kanda, then stood up to reach his goal, his hands pressing on the back of the older man's head to bring it down so that he could reach. The train suddenly screeched to a halt, a whistle blowing loudly, causing both to fall back in Kanda's seat. Allen's hands were on Kanda's chest, their eyes fixed upon each other. A scowl settled deeper on Kanda's face while Allen got off and opened the window to see what was going on. They were at a boarding station.

"Che. Damn passengers, causing the train to stop so suddenly…"

"Well, that _is_ what trains are for, Kanda."

"Shut it, bean sprout."

"_Make _me."

Mugen was the automatic, if not predictable, response to that as Allen swatted his hand away, causing Mugen to go spiraling down to the floor, clattering loudly. Kanda couldn't believe what had happened as Allen seized the opportunity to push him back into the seat and stare him down. His eyes had an unfamiliar glint to them as the Japanese Exorcist found that he could not move from his position. "Kanda. Give it up. Something's up, and I am going to find out one way or another, so you might as well stop the act and tell me."

'_H-He knocked Mugen out of my hands?!' _He stared at the sword that was currently lying still upon the floor, its blade glinting from the way the sun was shining through the small window. There was a loud whistle from the train, and it started moving again, slowly. Kanda could not avert his eyes as Allen applied more pressure on his shoulders, enough to make it sting a little. "Che. What act--?"

"_Stop that!" _Allen yelled, lifting the man off the seat and shoving him back into it without once lessening his grip. Kanda could have sworn a rib broke because of it, but the pain immediately vanished. "Stop that! I know you're lying, just tell me what the hell is eating you! You're not acting the same! Where the hell is the Kanda I know?! Where is the Kanda I know will try to maim me if I dare say the wrong thing?! Where the hell did you go?!" He slammed him again, causing Kanda to become more angered. "Why?! Why are you always acting so strange around me these days?! Just tell me, goddammit, tell me, please, and I'll stop! I'll never bother you again! Just tell me!"

"I know you, you won't stop bothering me anyways! Let go of me!"

"No!"

"I said, let--"

"NO!"

There was a standstill between the two. Allen's hair was practically standing on end while Kanda growled fiercely at him. Both of them were getting worked up, both of them were getting angry.

Allen's anger, however, was currently higher than Kanda's, and he was not ready to back down. "Tell me."

"It's nothing important--"

"Tell me!"

"Lay off--"

Allen couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Mugen off the floor by the blade and pointed it at himself. "Here. I'll stab myself in the heart if you really want me to. I might just do it if you continue to be difficult. Tell me either to kill myself or what's wrong. I'll give you ten seconds."

"You can't be serious."

"Ten."

Kanda could feel the bead of sweat forming on his forehead. There was no fucking way the bean sprout was being serious. "Nine." But knowing this idiot, he could be serious. A lump formed in his throat. Tell him what, though? There was nothing to tell! "Eight." Aside from the persistent yelling of Alma, the strange remarks from Miranda, and various other things… "Seven." But Allen was right in that regard-- He was acting strange. But for what reason? "Six." And, for another strange item at hand, why the hell did he care that much about what Allen is going to do to himself? Well, for one, it would get blood all over the compartment. For two, that little girl would see the blood. "Five." For three, everyone will get mad at him for allowing Allen to kill himself. For four… "Four." For four, Allen will die.

He paused. He didn't care if Allen died. Right?

…_Right?_

_Wrong,__ Yuu. I told you so._

'_What the hell is this feeling…?'_

"Three." Mugen's blade edged closer towards Allen's chest. "Two."

_You love him, Yuu._

'_Che…!'_

"One."

"Stop it!"

Allen paused, his hands clamped tightly on the hilt, the blade creating a little cut right where his heart was. His eyebrows furrowed into an expression of confusion and stared at him, wondering what the issue was. Kanda hesitated, then turned his head towards the window, grimacing, before looking back at Allen. "Stop it. Killing yourself will just make people think that I killed you."

"So?"

He said nothing. Allen put the sword off to one side before walking towards him, the look of confusion still playing perfectly on his face. His hand reached out and touched the older man's face gently, but his hand was immediately swatted away. Allen frowned.

"Che. Fine, I'll talk. What I was saying this morning…" He sighed, almost as if he were giving up, which was strange-- Allen thought he would never give up. The man paused, his eyebrows furrowing, as everything he thought he knew was starting to become distant and unfamiliar to him. "…What I was saying this morning was that…" He paused once more. How was he going to phrase this? It's not like he 'loved' the bastard, he just could tolerate him more than he used to.

Or were they all right?

Was he in denial?

That thought stuck out like the blazing red of Lavi's hair. He tried to shake it away, but like the Baka Usagi, it wouldn't go away. It would keep bothering him until he told it otherwise, but he knew that it probably wouldn't work. His frown deepened. "This morning, I meant to say that… your kiss… I… didn't mind it… that much. Che."

A pause. Allen blinked once. It wasn't what he said that was the scary thing. It was the _sheer sincerity _that tipped him off. Kanda wasn't lying. Kanda wasn't taking a bet that he lost to someone (probably Lavi) and just trying to make a fool of him. He wasn't sleeping, either. Every other possible explanation was no longer there. It was true. Kanda didn't mind it that much. But what did that entail?

"O-Oh?"

"Che." Kanda frowned, then glared at the British Exorcist. "What's with the face? Idiot."

"N… Nothing, I was just… surprised, that's all."

Silence. Lavi was biting down on his tongue hard. If he applied anymore pressure onto it, he would have bit it off. Luckily, though, he was continuing to 'sleep'. He was hoping that there might be more to this, but he knew Allen and Kanda-- They were both dense, ergo, it wouldn't get very far.

Allen sat back down across from Kanda, his eyes focusing on the ground. What did that statement mean? There was only one way to test it out, really, but what if Miranda and Allisa walked back in during what he was planning to due? Allisa wouldn't mind, but it was Miranda who would be the hard one to convince her that they weren't actually kissing and that they were doing something else.

Part of him argued to stay away.

But the other part was much louder, saying, _"Who cares?"_

He rose from his seat and, with determination, turned Kanda's head and softly pressed his lips up against the Japanese man's own. It was brief, but Allen could feel the scabs on the man's lip from where he had bled from. They weren't soft, they were rough, and also a little too cold, but even so, it still felt nice. Kanda didn't budge, nor did he try to move away during the kiss, or even after. He just sat there, eyes staring away, not focusing on anything. A lump formed in Allen's throat. He wanted to kiss him again, only more forceful and more demanding. But he knew better.

He sat back down as Miranda and Allisa opened the door, both of which were smiling, and sat down back in their seats, completely ignorant to the fact that Allen was blushing and Kanda had a slight amused look upon his face. They also missed the fact that there was a grin on Lavi's face, even though he was supposed to be sleeping. Allen slowly closed his eyes, sighing, as the train ride continued on. They were going to be home soon, and then they could settle everything out.

A pulse rang inside his head. He winced.

'_Not now…!'_

The Fourteenth chuckled. _"Fret not, host. I will be easy on you… for now." _His echoing laughter was the last thing Allen heard as he slipped into a state of sudden unconsciousness. No one seemed to notice-- they all thought he was sleeping. Instead, he was lost in turmoil of his own internal strife against a person whom he did not want to let free. He grimaced.

'_Go away.'_

"_I told you. I would leave you be for now… I was just making sure my presence was still known, boy." _Another laugh. _"But I assure you… You haven't seen the last of me."_

The tormenting dream agonized him for the rest of the train ride, though no one paid attention except the man studying his facial features. He grimaced.

'_Allen's running out of time.'_

* * *

Okay, so that was, uh, half-way decent? I hope? Maybe? Maybe not? I really shouldn't be typing when I'm in the hospital. XD So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! (Chapter 191 of DGM was funny! XD) I'll see you in 19! --K.S.


	19. Growing Problems

Woo-hoo, faster update, yeah! So. THANK YOU so much for the reviews and the favourites! You guys are keeping motivated. And to answer a PM-- I have ammonia, which sucks, and given with my other health complications, it just makes it ten times worse. XD; (My PM system isn't working, so I'm answering it here. Sorry!) But anyways, let us commence forthwith with chapter _19 _of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

19. Growing Problems

The train ride didn't last much longer after that. Everything was silent as the group proceeded towards the Black Order's gate. The gatekeeper (for once) did not cry out when they proceeded to get Allisa examined, and allowed them safer passage than they thought was possible. Komui and Lenalee, along with Krory, came running out to the main hall to cheer and greet the returning Exorcists back home. Allen and the rest, except for Kanda, smiled back at them, and everyone turned to Miranda afterwards. She had Time Record in her hands, and it was obvious that it was starting to drain her more and more of her energy. She sighed weakly.

"…I'm sorry, guys…" she managed before choking up. "…D-Deactivate."

With that said, Miranda passed out, and Allen and Lavi both returned to their prior states with the massive burns and cuts on their bodies. Lenalee's and Komui's eyes widened as Krory called desperately for a nurse. Kanda just stood there, completely unscathed even though he had also gotten those injuries, and frowned while watching everyone desperately trying to help the three fallen Exorcists. Allisa was taken away from the scene by Lenalee and began showing her around, despite the growing look of worry touching her features.

Nurses scattered everywhere, picking up the Exorcists and yelling things that went over the Japanese man's ears as he proceeded to his room in silence. The door opened easily. He put Mugen down to one side and checked the lotus flower that floated still in the hour glass. A petal had fallen. He grimaced. Go figure, he knew he had taken a lot of damage, but he thought that there would have been more down at the bottom of the hourglass. Apparently, that wasn't the case. He frowned as he pulled out the report and started to finish what Allen had started. The kid's handwriting was a mess.

'_Che. I might as well start it over, then. I got nothing better to do.'_

He crumpled the piece of paper up in one hand as he started to scribble down the details in the other. Within half an hour, he finished with handwriting that was a lot better than Allen's, picked up Mugen, and proceeded to go deliver it to Komui. He walked briskly passed Reever, who tried to say hello, but was promptly ignored. His eyes alerted all others who dare tried to speak to him to not, causing no one to say a word as he brushed passed and reached the mad scientist's room. The man had worry written all over his face as Kanda came in with the report in his hand.

"Oh, Kanda," he said quietly, then outstretched his arm for the report. Kanda delivered it swiftly. "Thank you. Allisa has been taken under the care of General Tiedoll. He's more than thrilled to have her as a part of the team, considering that he couldn't get that Tim boy onto it." He flipped through the pages of Kanda's report, examining everything closely. His eyes narrowed in on a certain section before looking up at the already-leaving man. "Wait, Kanda."

"Che. What?"

"This, here…" Komui re-read it quickly before looking back up at him. "This says that Allen has been turning into the Fourteenth a lot more frequently. Is that… true?"

"If it weren't, then it wouldn't be in the report, now would it?"

Silence filled the room as Komui rose from his seat and proceeded out the other door. Kanda took that as his cue to leave, and he promptly did so, not caring about whatever it was that Komui was thinking. He groaned the moment he saw Lenalee coming towards him with that same damned worried look on her face. Did it not occur to them that he really didn't give a damn about Allen and Lavi? No, of course not, that would be too easy for him! He sighed as she stopped to catch her breath and tried to smile. It didn't work.

"Ah, I just wanted to ask… Are you okay, Kanda? We're trying to get Allen and Lavi back to health, but I just wanted to make sure…"

"Yes, I'm fine," he responded. "How are they?"

Lenalee blinked once, confusion touching her features. Kanda? Concerned about his fellow Exorcists? Something had to be wrong with him. "Well, they could be better. Allen-kun is badly burned, and Lavi's recovering quicker than he is. He's conscious, now… And Miranda is just sleeping." She tilted her head to one side as the Japanese man completely ignored the last two statements. Did all he care about was Allen? She rose an eyebrow, but kept her mouth shut of it. "You look… off."

"Che. Not my day."

She nodded understandingly, though he doubted that she did. That damned bean sprout was driving him insane. But it was behind them now. Wasn't it? He frowned. No, he knew better. Things that happens in missions do not stay in the missions, or something along those lines. He cursed quietly to himself before turning and heading towards the medical wing. Curios, Lenalee quietly followed him. She wanted to know what was going on.

Kanda walked briskly, not pausing once or saying hi to another, but then again he never did to begin with. He just noticed this time that he never did that. He didn't care, but still. He frowned as he continued to proceed onwards to the infirmary. He pretended to not notice Lenalee was following him. He passed the gates and noticed Matron, and for a split-second he noticed the look of anger and worry crossing her face.

'_Che. What's going on with her…?'_

As he headed towards the general direction where he thought Allen would be, he noticed Leverrier and Komui, along with a group of people-- Crows?! --and Inspector Howard Link. Immediately he ducked behind a wall that stuck out enough to hide him. They were all talking before Leverrier's deep cough silenced them all. Kanda had a gut feeling that he was going to say something along the lines of stupidity or sheer blasphemy, he just didn't know which.

He put his money on stupidity.

"As we have received in Mister Kanda's report, this boy is becoming more and more of the Fourteenth," he said, his voice reaching a tone that the Japanese man did not like. "He is starting to lose himself. It won't be long before he starts completely losing himself, don't you agree, Chief Komui?"

A silence. Kanda could almost hear the amount of pain Komui was in just to listen to the bastard. "…Yes. But I don't think we should count Allen out quite yet. The boy is tougher than most other Exorcists-- He's practically on par with General's. I don't think we need to worry too much."

"And what happens if we let this go pass and someone, or worse yet, multiple someone's perish? I cannot afford to lose anymore soldiers. We have lost a lot already, and that is not good for this war. Not if we mean to win." He seemed to chew on something. Kanda couldn't believe it. Leverrier was eating while discussing this! "I don't want to see this report go unnoticed, Chief Komui. I think it's best if we put him under solitary confinement for a while. That way, he won't be near anyone and he won't cause to anyone for a while."

Kanda was about to yell out when a slam emanated from one of the walls. The Japanese man blinked once as he leaned a little to see what is going on. "Pardon me, _sir," _Komui seethed, his eyes glittered with an unknown form of hate, "but I don't think that is the best option. Allen wants to fight Akuma. He's an Exorcist. Let him fight."

"I can't allow that."

"You can allow that," Komui continued. "Allen is a part of this family. Just because you don't live here and you don't know what bonds are does not mean you can just come here and barge in on everyone and destroy everything. Do you understand, _sir?"_

A silence. Kanda knew Komui was going to get yelled at for that, but he had to agree. He didn't think the bean sprout deserved to be locked up, hidden away from the rest of the world. He just didn't see what everyone would gain from it. Leverrier put down his fork onto the side table and took a step towards Komui. Kanda could see the snarl on his lips. "I want," he said, "to win this war, and if this Exorcist fucks it up, I'm blaming it all on you, Chief Komui. Every death that this boy will cause will be on you. Including the possibility of your sister Lenalee dying. If you want that to happen, fine, I'll leave him be and keep Inspector Link to watch over him. Otherwise…"

"…Then we'll keep him," Komui said firmly.

"Fine."

"Fine," the Chinese man repeated, glaring.

Leverrier and the Crow Units began leaving. Kanda found his back pressed against the wall as they left the infirmary. Lenalee, who also happened to be listening in on the conversation, was moved to tears. She couldn't take this. Allen, of all people, did not deserve this. Kanda inched away from the wall and walked towards Allen's bed. Komui stood there, gritting his teeth before smiling grimly at him. "Hello, Kanda."

"Che." He paid little attention to the Chinese man as he pulled up a chair and sat down, staring at the sleeping boy. "Why the fuck is Leverrier so interested in Allen?"

Komui sighed. "They think he's a threat. I can't believe that they want to lock him away. I just don't think it's right." He frowned as he picked up a cup of coffee and drank it down in one sip, his mood becoming calmer. "I'm surprised that you heard all that, but I'm more surprised that you came here to visit Allen." He raised an eyebrow up at him suspiciously. "Nothing is going on between you two, is there?"

Mugen pointed at him as Kanda glared at him the best he could. _"Do you _want_ to die, Komui?!"_

"N-No, I'll just… I'll just be leaving, then," he said sheepishly as he quickly ran out the infirmary. Kanda put away Mugen, annoyed, as he just sat there, growing even more annoyed. Lock up Moyashi… What a stupid fucking concept. He'd just whine about how little food he was getting. They obviously didn't understand just how annoying Allen's whining was. It was on the equivalent of hearing a cat getting run over by Komulen next to an amplifier.

But it was even stupider since Komui was right-- Allen was stronger than mostly every other Exorcist, with the exception of Kanda himself. He sighed, his mood progressively worse, and growled as he looked at Allen once more.

He had let the stupid bean sprout kiss him. _Kiss_ him. It would be one thing if it were fighting, but this was on an entire different scale. His eyes wandered shamelessly around the sleeping boy's face and whatever was not covered of his chest. Why did he do that? He shook his head of that thought. He didn't want to think about it. He already knew why he let Allen do such a vile, disgusting, yet still wonderfully pleasant thing, and he could sum it up in a single sentence:

'_I'm fucking falling in love with him. Che.'_

If it were lust, he would know. But this wasn't of that category. Something was flurrying up in his chest and reached his brain with an echoing thought: _'I'm falling in love with him.' _It kept echoing onwards, enough to get him more annoyed, and pissed off at the concept. For one, Kanda did not know what the hell that concept is. How does one fall in love? There is no tripping involved. One does not literally fall over and have a shocking realization that they like someone. If that is the case, then obviously, he did it wrong.

But, quite frankly, he honestly did not care. His fingers balled into a fist as he began to chew on his lower lip, his eyes scanning around the rest of the room. He needed to get out of there before Allen would wake up. He had to. He didn't want to get involved with a person whom he knew was doomed to get killed by either the Noah of the Exorcists, and it definitely was not going to be the Noah, since they probably already know that he's the Fourteenth. Then an Akuma? His frown returned. If Allen died, then the so-called "Destroyer of Time" prophecy told by Helvlaska would have been wrong. If Allen died, he would probably be the only one who would not be upset by it.

If Allen died…

'_When Allen dies,' _his thoughts corrected, _'and it will probably be before you. Che.'_

He grimaced. Despite his feelings, he truly, honestly felt like there was something there between them. Maybe not. He frowned. He knew he liked him.

'_But what can I say?!' _his thoughts yelled as running away became more and more of an appealing option. _'I can't just tell him! That's retarded! Fuck, this entire thing is retarded! So what do I do when he wakes up, if he wakes up?! Say piss off?! Or say I lo--'_

"Kanda…?"

His thoughts were abruptly cut off with the sound of a chair being knocked over, an impartial yell of surprise, and someone's heavy breathing as a result of his name being said. It took him a moment for him to realize that it was he who knocked over the chair, yelled, and is now several feet away from the British Exorcist while breathing heavily, trying to get his thoughts straight. He quickly got himself together before clearing his throat, noticing the boy's look of confusion on his face. He picked up the chair and pushed it back to where it was before sitting down, eyes staring hard at the suddenly-interesting floor.

"…here?"

He blinked once. Did he just ask him a question? "Che."

Allen's eyebrows furrowed closer together as he tried sitting up, but his body promptly denied the request by sending waves of pain to where the burns and other injured body parts were. "You aren't… even bothering to pay attention, are you?" he asked between small, internal gasps. He didn't want anyone to worry of his injuries. Besides, he had worse. "I asked why are you here, BaKanda."

"Che. Where in the hell did you learn Japanese, anyways, Moyashi?"

"Lavi. He speaks fluently in a lot of things."

'_Damn Baka Usagi… He doesn't know an ounce of Japanese! He probably knows what 'baka' means after all the times I've called him that.' _He frowned.

"Well?" Allen turned his head a little to see Kanda better. "Do you have an answer, or do you want me to guess? I'm pretty sure you won't like what I have in my mind of as to why you're here."

"Che. I like none of your thought processes." _'You're probably right about one of them, though.'_

Allen sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes. He knew he was in the infirmary, it was obvious. What was out of place in the infirmary was Kanda himself, though. It was rather… _strange _to see the Japanese man come into the infirmary to visit _anybody, _let alone him. He swallowed hard after remembering what he had done on the train ride back home and tried to avoid it as a topic of conversation. He was already injured-- Kanda beating him up would have resulted in death. "Whatever," he replied calmly, "but remember that it's because of my thought processes that we managed to find the right accommodator and got out of Sweden."

"I would have figured it out eventually without your help, anyways, bean sprout."

"With your tiny brain? I think not, Your Highness."

"Go ahead." Kanda twitched violently as his hand began to withdraw Mugen out of its sheathe. "Call me that again. See what happens. And this time, I'm really going to murder you."

Allen decided to take his chances. "What was that, Your Highness? I couldn't quite hear your girlish tenor. Try speaking more in a human voice, please."

'_That does it!'_

Allen braced himself as Kanda lurched out of his chair, Mugen drawn, nostrils flaring, as he grabbed the poor boy by the collar and brought down Mugen on his head. Allen squeezed his eyes shut as he waited. And waited. When it was obvious that the blow was not going to come, he opened one eye half-way to see what was going on. Kanda dropped the sword onto the bed and kissed him, barely crashing into his lips, and as quickly pulled away. He grabbed Mugen, put it back in his sheathe, and sat back down in his chair, waiting.

Allen began to hyperventilate and felt like he was going to die of a heart attack. "Wha... Did you… do?"

A tiny smirk formed on the man's face, though his head was turned away. "Told you I was going to kill you." He stood up and left, leaving a barely-breathing Allen in the infirmary.

* * *

Okay, I really liked the irony of the ending there. XD; So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And I'll see you in Chapter (possibly final, depending on my plans.) 20! --K.S.


	20. Failing Willpower

So, it turns out, this is not the final chapter. Sorry! ^^; Though, depending on my plans, it's either next chapter or the chapter afterwards. Also known as, this story is coming to a close. (Though how it will end, one can only guess! Hah hah!) But I digress. So! Let us commence forthwith with Chapter 20 of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

* * *

20. Failing Willpower

_It's time…_

_It's time I…_

…_came out to play…_

…_let me…_

… …_let me out…_

…_Allen… Walker…_

The boy was sitting there, stunned, mouth parted as he watched the Japanese Exorcist leave the room. Needless to say, that was by far the least-likely thing he had expected. He thought he was dead. Maybe he was dead. Maybe this was all fake and this all was a dream, and in reality he had actually drowned back in Sweden or died in the infirmary or something. There was no way this could be real. It had to be of an illusion of some sort. He stifled a small laugh, even though the thought that had crossed his mind was anything but: _'Rhode would definitely not be pleased if she found out about this…'_

He wished he could have gone after him and see what was going on. Kanda had kissed him, right then and there, and he knew he couldn't be dead because dead people didn't blush or feel throbs of pain when their chest hurt and wish that they could get medicine for the headache that had been bothering him the entire time on the train. Therefore, the only logical explanation was that he was alive. Alive and been kissed. Alive and been kissed by Kanda Yuu. Alive and…

He winced as the burns stung when he tried to move his arm. He hated feeling pain, but, as he thought, who didn't? His weary eyes looked around the room when it seemed official that Kanda wasn't coming back. The white walls greeted him dully when he slowly looked at the window. His eyes did not grow wide as he saw the shadow of the Fourteenth. It was getting bigger. It was starting to get out of control. He wondered if he really was going to lose himself.

And if he did… what was going to happen? It was obvious that it didn't care if it killed his friends, if it destroyed the Black Order, if it did a numerous amount of other things that he couldn't fathom. It didn't care about the human race. It was just as bad as the Millennium Earl himself. It was completely opposite of him. And yet, it decided to take him as its host. His mind wracked with thoughts until it started to hurt. Sighing, he gave up thinking and decided to just sleep. Thinking was painful. Thinking meant dealing with the truth, and he, as foolish as he was, wanted to stay in denial. Or, in his case, stay optimistic, however the things to be optimistic about were starting to dwindle.

The train ride made it obvious-- _'I'm running out of time.'_

He whacked the back of his head off the pillow, and it still managed to hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, wondering if Lavi and Miranda were okay. It was strange how he did not think of them first when he had woken up. A wave of self-hatred rose up to his throat, wanting to come out. For a moment, he even felt like hitting himself. He was losing so much of himself. He couldn't take it.

Several footsteps echoed in the room as Lenalee came out after her long period of hiding. She didn't want to interfere with his thought processes, plus she was trying to figure out what to say to him. She had seen everything. She saw the two talk, the two argue, Allen making fun of Kanda, and Kanda kissing him. "Allen-kun…"

His ears perked up at the sound of her voice as he forced open his eyes and smiled faintly at her. "Lenalee."

She sat down in the chair that Kanda had sat down in and smiled back at him. It was obvious to Allen that she wanted to ask something, the way she was leaning forward and having a curious look on her face. "How are you feeling?"

"An occasional ache and the burns sting, but nothing I can't live through. I'm sorry to worry you, Lenalee," he said, smiling again. It was easy to smile. It was natural to smile. And it was the only thing hiding the fact that he was actually not okay.

She moved herself and the chair a little closer, her hands balled into fists as if she were trying to hold something back. "So, did anyone else come to visit you yet?"

He opened his mouth, then promptly closed it. If he said anything about Kanda coming in here and talking to him, she would think something was wrong with him. He didn't want her to worry about him, too, let alone him, Miranda, and Lavi. "…No, not yet. I think people think that I'm not awake yet," he said sheepishly, closing his eyes so that they would not side-glance when he lied. "It's fine, though. I don't particularly mind."

'Hmm…' Lenalee brought her pointer finger up to her mouth as thoughts continued to spin theories of as to why Allen was hiding the fact that Kanda visited him before her. She stared deep into his eyes, which gave Allen an unsettling feeling rising up through his spine. What did she know? Kanda didn't tell her anything, did he? His eyes widened. Or was Lavi awake already and he accidentally mentioned it? Actually, it was more likely that he mentioned it to her on purpose. Lenalee was pretty bright, though. Maybe she just figured out that he was lying. He opened his mouth to speak when Lenalee beat him to it. "Okay, then. I was just curious."

Relief poured into his system and he relaxed a little. He didn't want to show his relief too much, because Lenalee would've picked up on it. He frowned. Why was he so desperate to keep it a secret? Maybe it was because he wanted to protect Kanda from the people who would be shocked to find out. They would annoy him like crazy, and people would end up getting killed as a result.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, though the want to call him out was so unbearable that she just wanted to do it.

He nodded once, then put his hands up. "Ah, you don't have to get me anything. I'm sure I'll be fine for now. And I think when Jerry has a spare moment he'll make me something anyways--"

"No, no, it's not a problem!" she exclaimed. In reality, she wanted to get out of there before she said something stupid and embarrass Allen. "I'll get you some good stuff, promise!" With that, she hurriedly got up off of her chair and walked a practical run towards the door. "You focus on getting better, okay? See you! Hah hah…" Her laugh was a complete fake, but Allen didn't even get the chance to ask her what was up before she left.

'…_She knows something, doesn't she?' _he thought wearily. _'But what? I mean, Lenalee wouldn't bother Kanda about it, would she? …Would she? Gah, no, Lenalee is too nice to do something like that… right? …Right?'_

He started to panic over his own thought processes as the headache returned. His heartbeat sounded in his own head. Something wasn't right. He grimaced as his hands tightened on the sheets, his eyes squeezed shut. It was probably just an aftershock from all the pain that he was feeling. His eyes scanned desperately around. Maybe it wasn't that.

…_My song…_

… …_sing my song once more…_

…_Allen… Walker…_

'_What?!' _Allen could feel a pressure rising in his throat as he had the sudden urge to enter the Ark and play that piano.

…_Play my song once more…_

… …_And then you'll be nothing… but a memory…_

…_And I will… rise…_

'_No!'_

His breathing grew arduous as the world began to spin. He didn't want this to happen. He wanted to cry out, to warn somebody, to tell them that he was losing himself and that they should knock him out or kill him or do something that would stop this so that he would not end up killing his friends or, even worse, destroy the entire Order. His right hand clasped his forehead as a contorted groan came out of his mouth, his entire body wracking with aches and pains.

"No… No…!" his eyes widened as he thrashed violently around, not caring that his legs and arms and head was screaming in objection. "No, stop, stop, _stop!_ Stop it!"

…_Play it…_

"No, no,_ no!"_ He wanted his own head to tell him that this was a dream, that he was sleeping, that this was an illusion like the other times. Then it hit him. This was not a dream. He had confirmed this earlier. His mind fought desperately for control over his own mind and body as the Fourteenth tried, tried again to take over his poor host's hurting body. "No! No!"

_Play it!_

"Gah-- Somebody!" he yelled loudly, hoping to get someone's attention. No one heard him, no one came. "Somebody, _help!"_

_Play it, Allen Walker!_

_PLAY IT!_

A cry of agony slipped past his lips, then silence. His mouth refused to open anymore. Quietly, his legs moved against his will and touched the floor, making him walk towards the door and into the hall. His mind tried to come up with a solution as he reached the Ark's door and entered through it. He walked through the bare roads and towards the secret room that Timcanpy had shown him back when he wanted to save his friends.

Now, that same piano that saved his friends was going to betray them.

He walked through the door and sat down at the seat. He didn't need the score. The shadow in the window was grinning a malevolent grin, its eyes narrowed in an expression of hateful glee. The first key was struck, and the rest just came on instinct. _"Soucha de bouya yawa nemuri ni tsuida / Ikizuku, hani no naga no honawo…"_

'_Stop…'_

The song played on as his mind began to slip, his vision becoming blurred, his fingers starting to burn with a sensation that he had not felt before. _"Watashi wa inori suzukeru / dowo ga, kono koni ai wo / Tsunaida te ni kisu wo…"_

His body slumped over as several notes were struck from his head hitting the keys. He fought the Fourteenth and lost. His consciousness slipped as his head felt worse than before, then nothing.

The boy chuckled. "Good match, but it seems you lost for the last time," he remarked. His grin grew wider when he looked in the mirror, his eyes sleeker than Allen's would have been. "Now, I need more practice. I suppose there are plenty of people in the building this is connected to to practice on…"

He walked out of the room and towards the Ark gate and entered into the Black Order, grin still on his face. "Now, who to target first…"

* * *

Lenalee walked right past the dining hall and towards a room she had never entered before in her life-- Kanda's room. She knew that he was in there. She had checked every other possible option and there was no sign of him. Her fingers curled slightly and knocked on the refined wooden door. "Kanda?"

There was no answer. She promptly opened the door and saw him meditating. He looked annoyed, even though he wasn't supposed to. She closed the door behind her and squatted down in front of him. "Kanda, I knocked on the door."

"Che. I know. I'm trying to ignore you."

She frowned. Why were men so difficult? She sat down on the floor as Kanda opened his eyes, still heavily annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Why did you kiss Allen-kun?"

To hide his horror, he coughed abruptly, almost as if he were trying to purposely choke himself to death, which he knew it wouldn't work, but he tried anyways. "Che! What the hell are you talking abo--"

"I watched you do it of your own free will," she continued. "After the two of you were arguing and Allen called you 'Your Highness'. It was quite shocking."

He said nothing and swallowed down the urge to yell at her. If he did, he would probably be murdered by Komui. But then again, he couldn't get murdered-- He really couldn't die to begin with, but to deal with it alone is troublesome. "…Che. You must have hit your head or something if you think I kissed that damned bean sprout."

"I don't think-- I know you kissed him."

She was being smart with him. He knew it. A scowl formed on his lips, though he didn't deny it. Silence overwhelmed the room as he pretended that she was not there. What was left for him to do? If he denied it, she would shoot it down, and if he admitted it, then he would be made fun of for the rest of eternity. Not her, no, but Lenalee kind of had the habit for letting things slip from her mouth when she never really meant to. And if she spoke to a certain idiotic redhead, everyone would know. He stared down at the floor, mouth becoming dry as Lenalee began to smile.

"It doesn't matter if you did, Kanda-- I won't judge you," she said sweetly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. And Allen-kun also seemed shocked… But, what happened when you guys were in Sweden? The two of you have never been like that before. Or were you like that before and just hid it really well from the rest of us? Lavi would have noticed otherwise, I'm pretty sure…" She glanced at his facial expression-- completely solemn. "So it was when you guys went to Sweden."

A pause. Kanda was not going to say anything if she didn't ask him anything. His eyes checked the lotus flower in the hour glass and partially wished there was only one petal left so that he could kill himself.

"What happened over there? Can you please tell me about it?" Of course she would ask something. He scowled internally as he stared back at the floor and sighed. There was no point in trying to get her to stop asking him stupid questions like the ones that were coming out of her mouth when she got interested in something-- It was like asking Komui to stop building those damned robots that once took his soba. He sighed again, giving up.

"Che. He started it…" he frowned, refusing to look at her. "…Che! The mission before that… That idiot… The reason why I failed that mission was because I got distracted when he called me by my first name. And then…" The scowl reformed. "…the idiot was going to die, so I called him 'Allen'… And ever since then, I've been calling him 'Allen' almost as much as I call him 'bean sprout' or 'Moyashi'. And once, when we were in this house full of strange creations and what not… I… A shadow… Fuck!"

"Kanda, calm down!" Lenalee said as he hit the floor repeatedly with his left hand. "I know this is hard for you, but I just want to know what happened so that I can, well, help you if you need any!"

"This is stupid!" he yelled, beyond annoyed. Lenalee, who was always well-armed, clipboarded him on the back of his head.

"Cool it," she said calmly. "You can do this."

A corner of his upper lip twitched violently before he gave up and frowned. "Che. A damned shadow-thing pushed me into him and…" he paused, as if he were trying to figure out how to word it. "..our lips connected for a very split-second. It was stupid. And ever since that happened… He acted weird, as if he had a…" He glanced at Lenalee, who was nodding in an understanding manner. "Che. He started having dreams and… he clung to me whenever he did. At first, I thought he was dreaming about you--"

"Ha!" Lenalee started to laugh gently. Kanda glared at her.

"Che. You two are so… _friendly_ with one another, everyone thought that you two would be together."

She sighed lightly, a small smile on her face. "No, me and Allen-kun are too alike, if you ask me, and opposites attract more often than similar people do. Basic romance psychology, really. Besides…" she blushed lightly. "…there's… someone else that interests me."

'_Che? Who the hell else is there aside from me and the bean sprout? I know as hell she doesn't like me…'_

Meanwhile, in the other infirmary, a sneeze sounded loudly. The Matron turned towards him and rose an eyebrow. "What, you're burnt to a crisp and you have a cold, too? Talk about irony…"

Lavi shook his head. "Nah, but all of a sudden, I felt like I was being talked about. My ears are burning," he complained.

"A-Anyways!" Lenalee said to startle Kanda and his thought processes. She was afraid that he'd figure it out if they stayed on the topic. "A-About the dreams and whatever! You were saying?"

"Che…" He knew she was trying to change the subject, but he didn't say anything of it. "After at least one of those dreams, he began saying my name… And… He kept kissing me in his sleep… And he wouldn't tell me why he was having those dreams." He paused again and frowned. "And then that moron had the nerve to tell me that he loved me! The worst part of it all was when he kissed me and I liked it!"

Lenalee couldn't help but to let her eyes grow wide. She had thought maybe that Kanda wasn't feeling well or something, but she never expected an explanation like this. "So… does that mean you actually…?"

"I don't know!" he yelled, the rage meter slowly getting closer to ten out of ten. "I don't know, but every time I see that damned bastard I, I don't know, want to beat him into a bloody pulp, but at the same time I want to…" He trailed off, his eyes growing wide. "I want to… kiss him."

There was a long silence. Neither of them spoke, or rather, neither of them dared to speak because of the pressure looming over them. Lenalee briefly coughed. "And you did… As I saw. Kanda…" Her eyes shifted back to him. "…Do you… love--?"

Kanda didn't want to admit it. Granted, he had been wanting to say it. It was right on the tip of his tongue. Yet he knew that he would never be able to do that. It felt like a betrayal. Based on his past memories, he already 'loved' someone else. But that wasn't him. He was him, he was now, he was Kanda Yuu. And Kanda Yuu loved a British Exorcist who went by the name of Allen Walker. He nodded once. "Yes… Yes, I… I love him," he admitted, though the look of annoyance remained.

She smiled widely. "That's great! You finally came to terms with it! It was obvious to me that you were denying it up until now."

"Che…" The man frowned. "If you tell anyone, I swear to God, I will murder you."

"My clipboard will defend me. And are you forgetting that I'm an Exorcist, too?"

He grimaced. As annoying as she was, she was right-- She was a formidable Exorcist, and she could more than likely kill him if she tried. She stood up, patting at her miniskirt before opening the door. "It's a good thing that you figured it out, Kanda," she said, smiling. "You know what I think you should do next? Tell Allen-kun what you just told me." She couldn't help but laugh at the childish glare that he gave her. "Trust me, you'll thank me later. He hasn't moved anywhere. So, when you get your nerves back in order, promise me you'll go and tell him."

"Che. I don't make promises."

"Of course you don't," Lenalee smiled brightly as she noticed Kanda's eyes widened. Then nothing. She felt a very sharp pain on her right side, then her head hitting a wall, then the world spinning out of control. Her blurred vision managed to see white hair.

'…_Allen… kun…?'_

Darkness seized her before she caught glimpses of several other pools of blood-- or was it just her own and her eyes were making 16 copied images? --and bodies. Kanda jumped out of his room, Mugen drawn, and noticed that Lenalee was out of it. He could see several Science Department people and Finders scattered in the halls. He could hear loud yells and cries of agony as a result of missing body parts or dead companions. He could smell nothing but the coppery substance that he did not like and taste it in his mouth. All he could feel was the pounding in his head and his hand tightening around his trusted sword. The Fourteenth smiled at him. "Hello, there, Exorcist. Lovely weather we're having today, hmm?"

"Why you… Get the fuck out of Allen's body!" he yelled, temper flaring.

"Did you happen to here the chance of rain today, though?" He toyed with Crown Clown, its Edge covered with blood. "It said, 'chance of blood rains and heavy death tolls.' Or something along those lines." He smirked at Kanda, his sleek eyes resembling that of a cat. "You look annoyed. What's the matter? Don't tell me you care about this host like everyone else in this damned Order."

"I said to give him back. You have fifteen seconds to comply." Kanda held Mugen up above his head as the Fourteenth just laughed and laughed.

"You speak as if you can actually beat me!" he managed between laughs. "The truth of the matter is, you can't beat me. Neither can my host. Oh, he tried his hardest, yet little did he know that I was just waiting until his physical state was weakened just right so that I could take over. A fool-proof plan, if you ask me."

'_Che. Only it has flaws in it if he's using Allen's injured body.' _Kanda glared at him. "Seven. Six…"

The Fourteenth smiled again. "Bring it, boy."

"Five… four… three…"

The Fourteenth moved first. He charged right towards Kanda as Lavi rounded the corner to see what was going on. His body hurt like hell, but he could still walk at the very least. His eyes widened at what was going on. "Yuu-chan, _move!"_

"Two."

The Fourteenth connected right through Kanda's chest, Crown Clown sticking right through him. Lavi couldn't help but gasping. That was right through his heart, dead-center. There was a pause. The Fourteenth smiled as he withdrew Crown Clown and let him fall to the floor. Kanda lied there, motionless, as Lavi found himself standing in front of a predator. He glanced at Lenalee, then glanced at Kanda, then looked at Allen. "W-Wait… Wait… Yo-You can't be Allen…"

"Correct, boy," he said, smiling, approaching him. Lavi instinctively pulled out his hammer, but it was swatted away and across the hall. Crown Clown was right above his head as Lavi lost his footing and fell to the floor, mouth agape. "You're next."

Lavi glanced at his too-far-away hammer and watched Crown Clown about to come down on his head. _"A-Allen…!"_

* * *

Cliff-hanger. Oh boy. Sorry, I don't think this chapter was very good. Well, moving on. So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And I'm happy from all your reviews. Thank you! I'll see you all in the next chapter! --K.S.


	21. One Winged Bird

Oh, man! I want to thank my best friend who goes by the name of Saki for giving me the Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack. (I had it, yes, but only a few songs.) This chapter was based off of that very album. If you guys don't own it, it's about 77 songs long. It's wonderful! Anyways. Let us commence forthwith with the final chapter (yes, tear tear, but all good things must come to an end), Chapter 21, of 'Niveous Sky'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

21. One-Winged Bird

There was a spiraling crash into the opposite wall, Crown Clown falling to the floor, Lavi not moving, barely breathing, his hands still up above his head to protect himself, Lenalee not focused and unconscious. Heavy breathing was the loudest thing that was heard in that circular corridor. Not even the cries of Finders for Generals to come to aid them could really be heard over it. His hair clasp had broken off and fallen to the floor as well, but he could have honestly cared less at that moment. When the Fourteenth finally managed to move out from the wall, Kanda was already fully recovered. He had an awkward smirk on his face, one that indicated that it was far from over.

"Time's up," he said, Mugen pointed downward and glowing for the anticipated attack.

Lavi took in a sharp breath as Kanda glanced at him, mouthing the words, 'Get the hell out of here and take Lenalee with you while you still can'. The redhead paused and nodded once as Kanda walked towards the Fourteenth. If he could keep him distracted long enough, then the two could get out of there safely and he could move around as much as he wanted. The Fourteenth laughed and had an awkward grin on his face as he picked up Crown Clown.

"You know, I am supposed to be a Noah," he said, "though the Crown Clown doesn't effect me at all whenever I touch it. Strange, don't you agree? Though, it does give me an advantage for fighting people such as yourself." He stared at Kanda a little bit longer. "How are you not dead? You make me curious."

Kanda's frown deepened to a menacing scowl. "I only tell that to people who are actually important and to those who need to know. I definitely do not tell anything to an enemy." He raised Mugen up above his head and yelled, "Ichigen!"

The Fourteenth laughed lightly, jumping up and dodging the attack. Kanda blinked once and he suddenly disappeared from view as a chipper voice said, "Behind you!"

It took a mere second to try to block, and took even less time to be thrown into a door and crash into somebody's room, hitting the stone wall. He groaned loudly, Mugen still in his hands, before wearily standing up. Judging by the picture in the room, it was no doubt to be Allen's. The irony almost made him want to beat the Fourteenth with a frying pan and watch his brains splatter onto the walls, but he wanted to save Allen, not kill him. He stepped out of the room to notice that the Fourteenth was gone.

_'What the… Where did he go?'_ His eyes looked from one spot to another, looked up, looked down, and when he came up with nothing, he remembered Lavi and Lenalee. 'Shit!'

He ran. He had to catch up to the Noah before the damned thing caught up to the two injured Exorcists. He took one hallway, then the next, rushed passed several more dead bodies along the way as well as survivors who were being treated by those who were lucky. Footsteps began to grow louder when Kanda caught sight of Crown Clown's cloak turning another corner. His pace could not go any faster as he heard a yelp of surprise and the sound of a wall crumbling.

_'Shit.'_

He rounded the corner and skidded to a stop. Lenalee was ahead of the two-- Lavi probably pushed her unconscious self forward when the Fourteenth caught up to them to prevent her from getting hurt more --while the redhead was surrounded by a crumbled wall and Crown Clown sticking through his chest. It was possibly too late for him. Kanda summoned his Twin Blade Illusions and took a shot at the Fourteenth while he was distracted and sent him flying back.

"Oi! Baka Usagi!" he yelled, putting Mugen back in its sheathe temporarily. His instinct was right-- The Fourteenth did know how to use the Edge that Crown Clown had. Lavi was bleeding out. He needed medical attention. But the thing was, he couldn't leave Lenalee there, too. While the Fourteenth was still struggling to get up, Kanda gathered both of them up and slung them over his shoulders, and hopped onto one of the gates that were there to protect people from falling to a horrible death. But right now, he honestly had no other options left.

He jumped.

"What?" The Fourteenth stood up, confused at what he just saw. "Did he think fighting was pointless and tried to commit suicide? Feh."

_'Che…! That was probably not my smartest move in the history of smart moves!'_ Kanda thought as the bottom floor began to rapidly approach. He managed to pull Mugen out carefully yet quickly and stick it into the wall. It immediately snapped his arm out of place as Lenalee fell off his shoulder. Several profanities came to his head as the girl connected with the floor, a loud 'thud' resulting. He hesitated, then let go of Mugen. He landed on his two feet (it wasn't too high, just not good if one were unconscious) and rushed over to Lenalee, who was still, thankfully, breathing. He ran towards the infirmary where the Matron stood there, confused.

"You have to help these two," he said calmly but quickly. "There is a fight going on right now. I'm going to take care of it, but for now, take care of them."

The Matron nodded and called for assistance from other nurses as they rushed the two away. Kanda ducked out of the room quickly, his arm still throbbing. It was taking too long to heal. He stepped back out into the main room and looked up. Mugen was still embedded in the wall, a nice glint coming off of the blade. He had to get to it before he ran out of time. The question was how. If he used the elevator, it would make too much noise, but if he used the stairs, it took more time. He cursed quietly and stepped onto the platform of the elevator and pressed the button. It rose up quickly and stopped at the floor that he chose, grabbed Mugen, and looked up.

"I was wrong!" the Fourteenth yelled, Crown Clown aimed at his head. "Today's weather forecast calls for raining dead girl-look-alike male Exorcists!"

Kanda sidestepped, making the huge sword miss and hit the elevator instead. The unfriendly glint did not waver Kanda at all. Instead, it got him more motivated. "Che. I was pretty sure that it said something about sunny with blue skies and the absence of Noah-scum. Maybe you heard it wrong."

The two swung at each other, swords clashing and parrying one another. Both the Fourteenth and Kanda put their weight into it, each trying to toss the other's sword off of the edge. A dark glare came from the Japanese man as the Noah just simply smiled, not a single trace of worry on his face. "I assure you, Exorcist, that the weather forecast I heard was correct. The absence you heard was the absence of my host."

Kanda growled angrily as Crown Clown overpowered Mugen, causing the man to jump back. He misplaced where the elevator ended and started to fall. He quickly hit the floor, which hurt beyond anything right then, and could not get up before Crown Clown pierced him right through the chest once more, pinning him to the floor. Kanda did not budge. Pain seared through him for a split-second.

_'Che. I'll die, and it will take me a moment to recover, but once he pulls the sword out of me, I will continue fighting,' _he thought, his eyes slowly closing. _'But I have to be careful. One more blow like that, I'll end up dead… permanently.'_

The Fourteenth sighed as he stepped off of Crown Clown and poked Kanda's body. It didn't budge. He shrugged, then pulled Crown Clown out of him, bored. He expected that the Generals would have been tougher, but he took those out with a mere sleep bomb. And the other Exorcists… He sighed, shaking his head. Was there anyone within this building that was actually worth his time? Or maybe the only challenge he would have in this world after all would be the other Noah members and his brother, the Millennium Earl? It was a shame, he was hoping to have more challenges than just them.

_'Well, the host who I'm in right now is probably the toughest Exorcist in here,'_ he thought, _'which sucks, because I don't want to fight him just mentally. He might actually be worth my time.'_

He took three more steps forward before stopping. Something wasn't right. There was a rush of wind behind him, which caused him to turn his head enough to not see the Japanese man in front of him, Mugen coming down upon him. He turned his head back to see the sword penetrate right through his shoulder. The Fourteenth rose an amused eyebrow. "You managed to land a blow on me. You might actually be more of a challenge than I thought."

"Che." Kanda was still bleeding a little bit from the cut that Crown Clown had given him. He knew the lotus was losing too many petals. He might have been down to the final one, which would have been poor timing. Now, of all times, to die? He grimaced at the thought. He still had things to accomplish, but in order to do so, Allen had to be here, not this damned Noah. He pulled Mugen out of his quickly and back flipped away from him, glaring.

"I'm shocked that you're still alive, Exorcist," the Fourteenth continued, "but even more shocked that you didn't stab me in any of the places where the vital organs are. Tell me, Exorcist-- Are you trying to save my host while trying to beat me? Because if you are, that is the most foolish thing I have ever heard. Allen is gone. There is only me and me alone who resides in this pathetic excuse of a body."

"And yet, you took it over," Kanda stated, his eyes becoming narrow. "Besides, I have a feeling that Allen is still somewhere in there."

The Fourteenth rose an eyebrow. "Oh? How do you figure?"

Kanda rose Mugen up above his head. "Because if he wasn't, you would have already had stigmata's on your forehead, your skin colour would have changed, and your ability would have been known instead of you just having that star on your forehead, your skin being pale, and using Crown Clown because you have no other weapon at your disposal." He released another Ichigen, which was immediately blocked by Crown Clown. The Fourteenth continued to smile, despite his situation.

"I'm appalled that you were able to figure that out, Exorcist!" he yelled, charging towards him. "To think that you have a brain! Yet, you won't be able to get him back out, no matter how hard you try! Allen has been mostly consumed by me, and there is nothing and no one able to bring him out!"

The sword connected hard against Mugen, knocking Kanda back and skidding across the floor. He quickly stood up and blocked another frontal assault and another, getting pushed back into a corner. When Crown Clown came down once more, Kanda, instead of blocking, jumped onto the blade and jumped over the smaller body, landing perfectly in range and stabbed him in the other shoulder. He knew it would hurt Allen, too, but so long as he didn't hit him somewhere that would have killed the damned bean sprout, he would live. Or at least to live long enough for Kanda to tell him what he had meant to tell him for a while.

The Fourteenth's smile fell when Kanda pulled out the sword, his eyes no longer sparkling. His 'toying' days, as Kanda put it, were over, and now it was time for this Noah to take him seriously. "You bastard," he said, Allen's Innocence being lifted up off the ground. "You son of a bitch… That's twice I now owe you for. Though I think once will be more than enough!"

The swords parried again, a strong force of wind blowing around as a result, neither of which paid any attention to. Kanda began to think faster. He needed Allen to fight, too, but how could he do that? He frowned as Crown Clown came at him again, and he blocked with ease, giving him another moment to think.

"Give it up, Exorcist!" the Fourteenth yelled, his attacks progressively getting more aggressive. "I know you are more than likely getting tired! So do me a favor and die already!"

"'Die'?" Kanda repeated, amused. "I already died twice, you expect me to do it a third time? Besides, when did I owe you a favor? I don't think I did." He blocked another attack. "I'm done talking to you, anyways! Oi, bean sprout, can you hear me?!"  
_  
Yuu, do you really think that's going to work?_

Che. It's worth a shot, isn't it?

The Fourteenth looked confused as Kanda attacked again, his sword connecting once more with Crown Clown. "Bean sprout! Old man! Moyashi! Person who I hate so much! I can't fight him on my own, you have to help me out here!" Kanda knew calling him out by his first name would reveal what he was trying to do. For all the Fourteenth knew, he could be trying to be asking for assistance from another Exorcist. Nicknames were a wonderful thing, so long as the person knew that they were called that.

Hopefully it would work. Otherwise, Kanda would have to think of a new plan, and that meant stalling even longer. With any luck, no one would come in here like an idiot and try to help him out. They would just get in the way and get killed. So far, he has been lucky-- There were a lot of dead and dying people in the halls, and people were trying to help them out while he took out the Noah.

However, the question was how long could he go without getting fatally injured or someone else getting injured? He grimaced. "Moyashi-Hime! Dammit, if you can hear me, act out already and help me beat this guy!"

The Fourteenth smiled widely. "You really think someone will come out to help you? You are an idiotic Exorcist. Then again, all of you are." He swung again, which caused the immediate instinct of blocking.

_'Che.' _Kanda couldn't help but swallowing hard. _'Come on, Allen, I know you're in there. Fight!'_

One part was light. The other, dark. There was no gray area. Why was that? There had to be some gray area, because otherwise it just didn't work. The moon was full, it was bright, though the once-gray splotches were now black as it reflected off of a mirror. He reached out and touched it. On the other side, another hand pressed up against it as well, leaving the boy feel chilled to the bone.

(?is it winter?)

His voice sounded minute, quiet, and a bit raspy. It sounded nothing like his real voice. This had to be a dream of some sort, one that wasn't pleasant. Mana wasn't in it, and neither was Kanda, as far as he knew. His eyes, though slightly blurred, looked up to the sky. It was a pretty shade of sky-blue-pink that got darker the farther he looked up away from the horizon line. The snow was covering everything.

(.it is winter.)

He walked away from the mirror and started to wander aimlessly, wandering to no where, as nothing started to become something and black began to turn white. Everything just reversed for a moment, then returned to its natural colours.

(?black to white and white to black what is this i don't even know?)

It reversed again as a portion of the ground gave way and formed a layer of glass with words on it. They faded immediately after Allen only caught a glimpse of it, and only one word really stood out in his mind.

(?niveous? ?what is niveous? ?is it in another language? ?does kanda know?)

Kanda's image formed on the other side of the glass, his stern eyes staring at him. Allen couldn't help but bend down and try to touch him, but the glass prevented him from doing so. Allen stood there, puzzled, as Kanda just continued to be there behind that glass. He seemed to have no intention of breaking it.

(?kanda?)

When his image began to fade, Allen panicked and started to pound upon the glass. He didn't want to see Kanda evaporate into thin air like everything else.

(!kanda! ?can you hear me come back kanda i have so much to tell you kanda please look at me are you listening?)

The glass didn't break and he faded away. All that was left was the sky, the moon and the snow, along with himself. He felt truly alone. For miles he could walk, and he knew there would be no one there, because he knew no one else dared to be in a place like this. He took one more step forward before collapsing into the snow. He had nothing else left for him-- What was the point anymore? All he ever did was cause agony for his friends. The snow felt cold against his face, but even that didn't give him motivation to stand up.

All was silent. His own breathing didn't make any noise. He couldn't even hear his own heart. The silence was overwhelming, but he didn't even care anymore. He just laid there, his eyes growing blurry, his mind losing the will to even function.

(?is this it i think it is o good here i thought i had to keep on going does anyone even care?)

_"…n sprout!"_

(?what?)

_"…oyashi! Old man!"_

(?who?)

_"Person who I hate so much!"_

(?do i know you?)

_"Moyashi-Hime!"_

(!ah! ?kanda?)

_"…Act out already and help me fight this guy!"_

Fight. Allen blinked once, his eyes becoming clear, as the colours reversed once more for a split-second before returning back to normal. He felt his own hands push himself up off of the cold snow and into a standing position. To fight. Fight who? He wandered back to where the mirror was that balanced black and white, his own reflection covered by a shadow. The shadow of the Musician.

(?the fourteenth?)

He didn't understand. Black and white. Wasn't he supposed to, as the Musician said, fall from white and enter black or something along those lines? Then there should be a gray in between. He stared at himself in the mirror. White was his hair. Black was his uniform. But even he had some gray. His eyes shimmered as he placed a hand on the mirror once more. It turned into a liquid as the white and black were drawn away like a curtain, and a gray door stood in front of him.

(.black plus white is gray.)

He opened the door with ease and stepped through it.

(.im coming kanda.)

"…got to let me go! My friends are out there fighting right now and I have to help!"

"L-Lenalee--"

"Let go!"

She broke free from the grasp of the Matron and started running through the corridors. She had to help somehow in order to make up for the time she had been unconscious. There had to be something that she could do. Rounding the next corner, she entered the main room and noticed the two males fighting profusely. Kanda kept calling out nicknames that belonged to Allen as he fought. The boy who was supposed to be Allen was laughing all the while. Lenalee felt herself glued to the floor. His eyes… Kanda's eyes were filled with despair and hatred, along with a little bit of defeat. The swords clashed again, sending the two back to opposite sides of the room.

_'M-My God,'_ Lenalee thought as the Fourteenth charged after Kanda, who was beyond exhausted. _'Kanda… he's still fighting, though it looks like he's managed to do some damage to him. Why does he keep calling out Allen-kun's nicknames, though? Is he trying to get him to fight the Fourteenth, too?'_ She watched, helpless, as the swords collided again and again.

"Che! I'm getting sick of this!"

"What I'm getting sick of is your blatant stupidity and your iron will. Why won't you just make this easier on yourself and give up?" He rested Crown Clown on his shoulder, sighing as if he were bored of his toy. "Really. You are by-far the most annoying person I have ever fought. At least you were a challenge, for the most part."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kanda glared at him even more are the swords collided again.

"I mean, this fight is over," the Fourteenth said, shrugging.

Lenalee's eyes widened as he managed to knocked the hand with Mugen in it back just enough so that he could stab him for the final blow. Kanda couldn't and didn't evade, the sword sticking out from his chest. All of his injuries did not heal, so Kanda had assumed that his healing power had run out already. It was sheer will that had kept him moving, and now, as the Fourteenth said, it was over. Lenalee began screaming.

"Oh, she's still here?" the Fourteenth sighed, not quite yet pulling the sword out of his chest. "Man, one after another. This is becoming te--!"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide with something Kanda was hoping he would see-- Defeat. The Fourteenth shook his head back and forth, grimacing, yelping, shuddering. "D-Damn!" he yelled. "Y-You… You dare try to f-fight me, boy?! G… Get out…!"

There was a loud scream, then a pause, and the eyes turned back to normal, though they were pained. He was still shuddering. Kanda couldn't help but stare at him as he felt the blood crawling up his throat. He was dead, he knew it, but Allen was finally here. Allen stared back at him, shaking and gasping like he was having difficulty keeping himself in his own body. "K… Kanda…"

"…Che…"

Allen's hand reached out and grabbed the hand with Mugen in it and put it at his chest. Kanda did not know what he meant at first, but then Allen managed to stutter out, "Wh-While… I still have control… o-of… this b-body… you h-have to… k-kill me…"

Kanda couldn't help but feel his eyes grow wide. He shook his head from side to side. "Che…! No, I won't kill you--" he coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. He had to hurry up in his speaking. He had very little time left. "--so long as you're you."

"T-There's… no time!" Allen started to wear that pained expression even more, his eyes filled with another emotion-- Fright. "I-If I… lose control of m-myself a-again… I-I'm afraid… that I'll kill so many people…" He looked at his own arm and noticed Crown Clown sticking right through Kanda's chest, then took notice to how fast the Japanese man's face was in turning pale. "K-Kanda…!"

"Che. Stop talking, Moyashi." Kanda tried withdrawing his had away, but couldn't. He figured he might as well just say it. "Allen… I…"

The sword in his hands pierced through Allen's chest. Lenalee, who had fallen to her knees and couldn't seem to get herself to stand , screamed louder as blood formed from his own mouth. Kanda found himself frozen in the idea that Allen had just stabbed himself in the heart. The boy smiled at him, and, in desperation, kissed him one more time. It was short, and as soon as it was finished, the two fell to the floor, Crown Clown piercing through Kanda's chest, Mugen in Allen's. When Allen finally closed his eyes after his heavy breathing, Crown Clown deactivated and formed back into his arm. Kanda continued breathing long enough to hear Lenalee screaming for someone to help.

_'…In the end… I never… got to say it after all…'_ he thought, his eyes losing focus. _'Che… Allen… I…'_

His thoughts slowed to a stop as the world slipped away into nothing. Komui came from his office in hearing his sister's pleas and stopped dead at the sight. Neither Exorcist was moving. Neither Exorcist was breathing. Lenalee continued on screaming as her world seemed to lose two essential pieces. Komui stood there, face paling, before kneeling down and turning Lenalee's head away from the scene and just continued staring at it, completely frozen with shock.

"A-Allen-kun… K-Kanda…" she sobbed, her tears soaking her brother's shirt. The nurses rushed in and checked each of their pulses. On both sides, they shook there heads, which added more to Lenalee's misery. They moved the bodies up out of the room as Lenalee moved away from her brother, stood in the center of the room between the piles of blood that belonged to her friends, and screamed at the top of her lungs amongst her tears:

_"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"_

--end--

Wow. Alright, guys. Thank you so much for reading this series! It was fun while it lasted, and I assure you, I will write more. So, for the final time, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! And hopefully, I'll see you guys in some of my other stories. Thank you again!

--Kurokumo Soratami


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